Labour in meltdown following Black Wednesday

11.58.11am GMT Thu 27th Apr 2006

Clarke urged to resign, Hewitt heckled by nurses, Prescott admits affair

Mr Blair's Black Wednesday saw nurses boo the health secretary, John Prescott admit to an affair and the home secretary face calls to quit.

Home Secretary Charles Clarke is resisting calls to resign over the release of 1,023 foreign prisoners who were meant to be considered for deportation. In addition the Home Office has admitted there are 915 inmates in England and Wales jails with no nationality recorded and this morning's BBC Radio 4's Today programme revealed that a further 600 have falsely claimed to be British.

Some backbenchers have expressed concern about the damage the latest controversies will cause to Labour's local election campaign. and the leaders of the Labour groups on two city councils have written to Mr Blair telling him to expect bad results in next week's polls and urging him to leave office sooner rather than later.