Short faces the sack for 'act of treachery'

Downing Street fury at 'calculated' attempt to undermine Blair's position

Clare Short's days as a cabinet minister were numbered last night as Tony Blair's close allies hit back at her devastating attack on his strategy on Iraq.

Although Mr Blair does not intend to sack the International Development Secretary immediately, his aides predicted she would not survive in the Cabinet in the medium or long term. One government source described her attack as "an act of treachery".

Ms Short stunned the political world on Sunday by threatening to resign unless Britain won a fresh United Nations resolution before military action is taken in Iraq, branding Mr Blair's approach as "reckless".

Normally, such a clear breach of cabinet collective responsibility would result in the sack. But at the risk of looking weak, Mr Blair judged that dismissing Ms Short now might fuel the Labour rebellion over Iraq and prompt other ministers to resign.

Mr Blair's aides said he was "too busy" dealing with "more important" matters than Ms Short's future. "He is spending all his waking hours trying to secure the very thing she says she wants," one said.

Another close Blair ally said: "She won't be there [in the Cabinet] in the medium or long term. The truth is that she used language which was reckless and calculated to undermine the Prime Minister's ability to secure a new UN resolution. She has sent a signal round the world that he is not supported by his own Cabinet."

Mr Blair's official spokesman said Mr Blair was "surprised" by Ms Short's remarks because she did not mention resigning when they held a one-to-one meeting on Thursday last week. The spokesman refused to say whether the Prime Minister still had full confidence in his International Development Secretary, saying tersely: "Clare Short remains a cabinet minister."

The Prime Minister made clear his unhappiness about her outspoken attack in two brief telephone conversations with Ms Short on Sunday evening and yesterday morning.

Last night Mr Blair was slow-handclapped by a few of the 20 women who quizzed him on ITV's Tonight with Trevor McDonald programme. Asked about Ms Short's attack, the Prime Minister said: "My response is quite simply that I'm working flat out for a second resolution and the important thing at the moment is that we stay together and argue our case collectively and do everything possible to secure that second resolution. I don't disrespect anyone who has a different point of view. But in the end I have to take a decision."

Yesterday Ms Short contradicted Downing Street's version of events, insisting she had raised her anxieties at every opportunity since the crisis began. "She felt her concerns were not being heard," one friend said. "In order to have some impact, she had to do it now. It would be too late if she had waited even another week."

Dennis Turner, her parliamentary private secretary, one of several ministerial aides who will resign if a UN mandate for war is not obtained, said: "She wants to continue as Secretary of State. She wants to serve her country in the way she is doing so magnificently."

Cabinet ministers rounded on Ms Short for airing her concerns in the media. Alan Milburn, the Health Secretary, said: "The timing is odd. If she has concerns then she should raise them and should have raised them directly with the Prime Minister in the first instance rather than deciding to do what she did."

Gordon Brown, the Chancellor, a close ally of Ms Short, said: "The whole country should support Tony Blair in his determination to secure international agreement for a second UN resolution and for the disarmament of Saddam Hussein."

Peter Mandelson, the Blairite former cabinet minister, said: "You are bound to ask why she should suddenly discover her principles on this matter on this particular Sunday afternoon when this particular BBC interview was recorded."