PM Brown reshuffling his cabinet in Britain

Brown promoted allies to his inner circle as he tried to crush efforts to oust him within his Labour Party. Some legislators view Brown as the key obstacle to the party's hopes of avoiding defeat in the next national election, which must be held by June 2010. Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell, a 39-year-old fast-rising star in Brown's government, dramatically quit Thursday and urged Brown to step aside. "I now believe your continued leadership makes a Conservative victory more, not less likely," he told Brown in a resignation letter.  Defense Secretary John Hutton, who was regarded as one of the cabinet's best performers, announced Friday he was quitting his post - the sixth surprise resignation in four days. But he offered Brown his support - mitigating the impact of his departure. Armed Forces Minister Bob Ainsworth, a deputy to Hutton, was picked to become the new defense secretary, according to a posting on the defense ministry's Web site.Brown's office confirmed that a reshuffle of the cabinet was under way - the first since October - but said that ministers' new roles would not be immediately announced. Though Brown has gained praise overseas for his handling of the global economic crisis, he trails the main opposition Conservative Party in opinion polls and is widely expected to lose the next national election.His government has suffered the most in a scandal over lawmakers' expense claims, blamed for failing to reform a system that allowed legislators from all parties to charge for items like horse manure, porn movies and repairs to the moat of a country mansion. Early results from local elections held Thursday showed Brown's Labour losing scores of seats to the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.