The wheeze that backfired

Rumours are flying around about more resignations this afternoon. It would be surprising, but then the word febrile doesn’t do justice to it. Ministers are on the Green where I am standing outside the Commons giving robust defences of the PM.

But the ally of Gordon Brown who let it be known off the record that Hazel Blears was “worried” the Cabinet Office was finding more problems with the bundle of expenses she’d handed over to them should be regretting that wheeze.

It has fired up Blairite ministers to talk of being close to snapping after the treatment meted out to Hazel Blears. “If I wake up on Friday and hear Ed Balls is the Chancellor that would be the trigger for me,” he said.