Th 1st June - Prescott Gives Up His Very Big House in the Country

The Deputy PM gave up his country estate, Dorneywood, in a statement yesterday. He said press attention about his use of the 21-room Queen-Anne style house was getting in the way of doing his job.
Poltical pressure on him intensified after he was pictured playing croquet at the Buckinghamshire mansion while officially in charge of the country.
Surely this is the end for Prescott? It seems not. It is clear that he told the PM he would resign if Dorneywood was taken from him.
Now Blair has had to interrupt his holiday with a phone call to his deputy to insist he give it up. The image of Prescott the down-to-earth old Labour working class hero has been forever tarnished by those croquet pictures.
Prescott will not give up his title as deputy either - not without triggering a most unwelcome leadership contest.
Triggering a costly election for deputy leader would pile pressure on Blair to go at the same conference. There would be a proxy battle for control of Labour - at just the moment they want to focus on delivery.
Any leadership election will be divisive - the party seem unlikely to vote for a Blairite such as Harriet Harman.
All this leaves Blair in a difficult position. He probably would have sacked Prescott, if it were not for the rules that stipulate the deputy leader of the Labour party must be a cabinet minister.
Holding onto a wounded Prescott, or losing him and being thrust into an unwanted leadership contest, it is a lose-lose situation for the prime minister.