Blunkett forced to resign over shares row

SCANDAL-PRONE British Cabinet minister David Blunkett was forced to resign yesterday for the second time in less than a year in a major embarrassment for Tony Blair.

Mr Blunkett, who insisted on Tuesday that he would not be forced out of office, acknowledged that his business dealings had breached ministerial guidelines and that his position as work and pensions secretary had become untenable.

“I’m guilty of a mistake and I’m paying the price of it,” he told reporters, adding he was “deeply sorry” for embarrassing Mr Blair.