Junior minister quits over Brown

LONDON (Reuters) - A junior minister resigned from Gordon Brown's government on Tuesday in the highest-profile revolt against the prime minister's leadership so far.

David Cairns was a minister in the Scotland Office. Two MPs have already been sacked from government jobs for expressing dissatisfaction with Brown's leadership and a third quit after saying he should be challenged.

"The Prime Minister has accepted David Cairns' resignation. The exercise of government demands collective responsibility," Brown's office said in a statement.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Labour Party national executive committee rejected calls for a leadership election that could have threatened Brown's 15-month-old premiership.