Minister quits and urges Brown to go

LONDON (Reuters) - Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell said Thursday he was resigning from the cabinet and called on Prime Minister Gordon Brown to stand aside as leader, Sky News said.

News of the resignation, which broke as polls closed in local and European elections, further erodes Brown's authority and increases the possibility of a challenge to Brown's leadership of the ruling Labour Party.

(Reporting by Adrian Croft)