Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he understands Ruth Kelly's desire to spend more time with her four children.
”She wanted to be with them as they grow up. I understand it. She has missed several years and she wants to be with them as much as possible,” he said.
He added: “I do understand as a father myself.
”She has got four children between five and 11. She felt, rightly, that the tension between having to work, being a constituency MP, being a minister, and having a family of four, that she wanted to spend that time as they grow up helping them through these challenging years.
”She told me in May that this is what she wanted to do. I wish her well in the future. But she has done a great job as Transport Secretary.”
Mr Brown also insisted there was no significance in the timing of the announcement.
”She wanted to wait until there was the next reshuffle in the Government. And obviously this leaked out last night,” he said.
Asked whether there were more ministerial resignations in the offing, Mr Brown responded: “That’s not true at all.”
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