Why Purnell resigned

I can reveal that James Purnell was offered education, which he turned down, and decided to resign because he couldn’t go on continuing to go out in public and support a PM whom he’d lost faith in months ago. It’s an open secret that Purnell supported David Miliband for the leadership last summer. And, in this context, reports of Miliband’s resignation, expected tomorrow, made sense – it would have been four Cabinet resignations in four days. But Miliband has apparently denied it – to quit now, and choose the wilderness, takes a certain sort of courage. As Miliband showed us last summer, he doesn’t have it.

I believe Purnell when he says he acted alone – if he waited for some co-ordinated attempt he would be waiting forever. Even those close to Purnell had no inkling that he was preparing to do this – the secret was so well-kept that even No.10