Maybe she really does want to spend more time with her family
The decision by Ruth Kelly to stand down as Transport Secretary at the next Cabinet reshuffle, ostensibly to spend more time with her family, has brought the conspiracy theorists out in force. As Mike Smithson of the website Political Betting quite reasonably reminded readers this morning, Kelly was one of only four Cabinet ministers who refused very recently to say whether Brown would still be in office at the next election.
The suggestion is that the Kelly news - which was confirmed at 3.30 in the morning - was designed to take the shine off the PM's well-received address (in Manchester, at least) to the Labour party conference.
This theory is supported by news emerging this morning that Kelly was heard by a Conservative Party researcher, Alex Dawson, to comment "Terrible!'" at the end of Brown's speech. Not surprisingly, Kelly's spokesman denies she made such a comment.
Kelly would be an unusual outrider for the Blairite faction in the party, being one of the few ministers to retain influence and affection with both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, having spent her early years as an MP working at the Treasury. However, there is no doubting her friendship with David Miliband - the two even had a fling when they were in their twenties - and there are those who believe she would be a natural member of a backbench Miliband-for-leader campaign team if or when it comes to that.
On the other hand, Kelly's chances of remaining a backbencher at the next general election are slim, whoever is leading the Labour party by then. She holds Bolton West by just over 2,000 votes and the constituency is 47th on the Tory list of targets. A swing of just 2.6 per cent would unseat her, and holding on to it will require the fight of her short political life. It could be that this stark reality has led to her departure; some close friends believe she might return to journalism - she was an economics reporter for the Guardian before entering politics - or even start a new career. She's only 40.
Others point to Kelly's religious beliefs - she is a staunch Catholic and member of the hardline Opus Dei sect - and the difficulties she has had supporting Government policy on matters that clash with her faith.
The upcoming human fertilisation and embryology Bill may have forced her to put her faith ahead of her politics.
But more than one Labour Party insider has told the Mole today that while all these factors probably play a part, the main reason for Kelly's departure may be far less opaque. Citing Kelly's down-to-earth nature - she's one of the most popular women in Parliament - one of them said: "This could be one of the rare instances of a minister resigning to spend more time with their family and actually meaning it." Kelly is devoted to her four young children, all of whom were born since she was first elected to Parliament in
1997 - a record for an MP.
THE MOLE: KELLY RESIGNATION
FIRST POSTED SEPTEMBER 24, 2008
Hard work as Brown plays to his strengths
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