Milburn quits for the 'one shot in life' to be with his children

When Alan Milburn made a 500-mile round trip to attend his son Joe's school concert on Wednesday, it was clear that in his own mind he had already ceased to be Health Secretary.

With trains south from Darlington ending at 8.30pm, Mr Milburn had to be driven through the early hours of the morning back to London so he could be in place for the cabinet meeting at 10am.

The trip, which delighted Joe, 11, was the first time in the six years of the Labour Government that his father had managed to make a visit mid-week for a school event.

Yesterday, as the impact of Mr Milburn's decision to quit the Cabinet sank in among his colleagues, many at Westminster took at face value his reason for going.

Ever since the Tory cabinet minister Sir Norman Fowler resigned to "spend more time with my family" - when it was quite clear he wanted to spend less time with Margaret Thatcher - the excuse has become a devalued currency. Downing Street and Mr Milburn went out of their way to dispel suggestions that there was a less honourable reason for his departure.

The rumour mill went into overdrive. Had he finally lost patience with the Treasury's criticism of his foundation hospitals plans? Had he been offered a job he didn't want? Was there a tabloid scandal afoot about his private life?

But when it was suggested that some would gossip about his motives, the Darlington MP confronted the innuendo head on. "I understand that and they are wrong. I understand that there will be motives suggested about this," he said. "There will be implications and there will be the wildest of conspiracy theories about this. But it comes down to a simple thing, a personal choice."

Displaying all the media skills that led him to rise quickly up the New Labour ladder, Mr Milburn gave a series of interviews outlining the conflict between his work and family life. He said he and his partner, Ruth Briel, had tried "different things" to get the balance right for their two sons, aged 11 and eight. They had tried to counteract the "crazy life" of a full-time politician but had concluded that his career had to give way.

"You get one clear weekend and then there is some sort of crisis. This raises a big issue by the way in which we conduct our politics," he said. "I think I cannot envisage a return to life on the front line of politics because my children are very young. They need their dad.

"I have mulled it over a lot lately. I concluded I cannot do this 24-hour-a-day, seven-days-a-week job in a busy cabinet post and have anything like a normal family life ... You get one shot in life with kids. You get one chance to see them grow up. I have not been there and I want to be there."

As a fervently loyal Blairite, Mr Milburn had been tipped by many as a contender to succeed Mr Blair as Labour leader, his easy charm, youthful looks and commitment to the "project" offering a credible alternative to Gordon Brown.

Senior sources told The Independent that Mr Milburn had made his mind up about leaving "months ago" but did not want to destabilise the Government during the war on Iraq. A small group of his closest advisers knew of the plan, but many of his staff did not suspect anything even though he was "extremely relaxed" at his weekly strategy meeting on Monday. "People say he's obsessed, that he's a driven man, but this proves that he's not," one aide said.

Nevertheless, the loss to the Prime Minister of one of his most trusted New Labour allies, will be a big blow with a general election that could be less than two years away.

Of course, Mr Milburn's reputation as the man who took on the Chancellor in the battle over foundation hospitals and who enthusiastically backed the private finance initiative was a long way from his left-wing youth.

Born on 27 January 1958, his mother brought him up on her own in the Co Durham mining village of Tow Law. He attended Stokesley comprehensive in Cleveland, before going to Lancaster University for his BA in history.

He went on to become a bearded street agitator and noisy salesman of Marxist literature, working in Newcastle upon Tyne's political bookshop Days of Hope (which bore the unflattering nickname "Haze of Dope") and campaigned rowdily against the closure of local shipyards.

After his election as MP for Darlington in 1992, his political potential was quickly spotted at Westminster and he was marked out as a high-flyer virtually from the moment Mr Blair took over the Labour leadership in 1994.

Mr Milburn served as shadow front-bench spokesman first on health and then on treasury and economic affairs, and was appointed a Health minister when Labour swept to power in 1997.

Only a year later, at 40, he entered the Cabinet as Chief Secretary to the Treasury and a year later succeeded Frank Dobson as Health Secretary.

With Mr Milburn gone, the New Labour north-east mafia appears to have finally lost its hold on Government. At one stage, Peter Mandelson, MP for Hartlepool, Mo Mowlam, MP for Redcar, and Stephen Byers, MP for North Tyneside, sat alongside Mr Blair and Mr Milburn in the Cabinet.

Last night, Mr Milburn's allies said he was relieved he had finally resigned. "This Sunday will be his first Father's Day in six years that he won't be doing a red box," one friend said.

The resignation letters

Dear Tony

I have found it increasingly difficult to balance having a young family in the North-east with the demands of being a cabinet minister. I know this is something you understand, and I am grateful for all the support ... It has been an enormous privilege to serve in Government for six years. But I have already missed a good bit of my children growing up, and I don't want to miss any more... This is the right time to go ... The NHS is now moving forwards. The money is going in and the reforms that you and I have argued for are making an impact. This has been a difficult decision and I leave with real sadness. It is not a political decision for I support you totally in what you are trying to do. It is entirely personal.

Yours, Alan

Dear Alan

I was obviously very sorry to hear that you wanted to leave the Government, though I understand the reasons and respect your decision.

You have made a major contribution to the success of this government. The NHS has clearly turned the corner ... On every measure, waiting times are now lower than in 1997 ... Patient choice, plurality of provision, and reform of working practices are all being developed. These are all reforms which I regard as vital, and I want to thank you for having made such a major contribution to their delivery ...

I wish you, Ruth and your family every success and happiness in the future.

Yours ever, Tony