British Prime Minister Gordon Brown came under attack from his party again Sept. 16, after junior minister David Cairns resigned from the government.

Cairns, a minister in the U.K.'s Scotland Office, quit in protest at Brown's leadership.

Cairns announced his resignation hours after the Labour Party said it would not send nominating forms to all Labour members of Parliament. If 70 Labour lawmakers sign papers nominating another candidate, the party would hold a leadership election. Cairns said he believed the party should hold a debate about Brown's leadership.

Cairns is the second member of Brown's government to quit in the last week. Siobhain McDonagh resigned as a whip Sept. 12, after saying she wanted a leadership election. Their resignations, ahead of the party's annual conference, which begins Sept. 20, draws attention to Labour's growing dissatisfaction with Brown.