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Gordon Brown’s authority is openly challenged today, as a senior minister tells him to leave Hazel Blears in her Cabinet post.

Caroline Flint, the Minister for Europe, says in The Times that Ms Blears, a fellow Blairite, should stay in her job amid growing fears among her friends that she may be the top-level sacrifice for the expenses fiasco.

Ms Flint risks angering Downing Street by saying that Ms Blears had technically done nothing wrong, despite Mr Brown’s branding her behaviour “completely unacceptable” after she failed to pay capital gains tax on the sale of a flat.

Friends of Ms Blears are annoyed that Mr Brown appears to have been far tougher on her than other ministers. He swiftly cleared Geoff Hoon and James Purnell of wrongdoing over allegations that they had not paid capital gains tax on their London homes.

Ms Flint also sides with Ms Blears, the Communities Secretary, in her recent criticism of the Government’s communication effort — seen widely at the time as an attack on Mr Brown.

Ms Flint says that Ms Blears is “one of the last people who would ever come into politics to gain some kind of financial benefit”.

Ministers rarely risk trespassing on the Prime Minister’s autonomy over reshuffles, particularly so close to the event. The show of ministerial indisciple is a further sign of how far the expenses controversy is altering the normal rules of political behaviour.

In a further sign of the febrile atmosphere at the top of government, some ministers are now speculating that Mr Brown could be persuaded to call an autumn election. They say that, with Labour apparently heading for certain defeat next year, the only way Mr Brown could rescue his party would be to be bold and go to the country on his plans to take Britain out of the recession and clean up politics.

One minister said that David Cameron’s hopes of a smooth ride towards the election had also been upset by the expenses revelations, which have reminded voters of an old-style Tory party “moats and all”.

“Of course it’s hitting us badly, but all the signs are that UKIP will hit them just as much as they hit us in the European elections,” the minister said.

Ms Flint, who is in charge of Labour’s campaign for the European elections, said that the party was “going to take a hit” at the June 4 polls. A government reshuffle is expected widely soon after.

The Times has been told by informed sources that Lord Mandelson will not be moved to the Foreign Office, and that David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, has been assured that this is the case.

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