Don't let the garage door hit your butt on the way out!
Clare Short resigns from government:

Clare Short, the international development secretary, has resigned from Tony Blair's government after weeks of speculation about her position.

Ms Short's verbal attack on the prime minister's Iraq strategy before the conflict and threat to quit the cabinet led to suggestions she would not survive the next reshuffle. Last week, she failed to turn up to support the government in a crucial Commons vote on foundation hospitals.

She is expected to make a statement in the House of Commons later on Monday.

Ms Short's move suggests she has decided to pre-empt a possible sacking by going through with her original threat to go. The prime minster had persuaded her to stay in the cabinet to see through the reconstruction of Iraq after the war, but ministers have privately suspected she would be dropped.

If we ever get a president who proposes that the USA have an "Secretary of International Development", we'll know we're in trouble.