UK's Clarke rejects calls to quit over jail error

LONDON, May 1 (Reuters) Home Secretary Charles Clarke today rejected calls for his resignation over the bungled release of 1,000 foreign prisoners from British jails, insisting he was the right man to sort out the problem.

Opposition politicians called for Clarke to go after the Times newspaper today reported he had waited three weeks before telling Prime Minister Tony Blair about the prisoner bungle.

Pressure on Clarke is one of a string of difficulties facing Blair's government ahead of local elections on Thursday in which it was already expected to do badly.

''I have tried to be a reforming home secretary and have tried to deal with some fundamental issues,'' he told the Eastern Daily Press newspaper.

''We have still got some challenges which still need to be completed and I think I am the best person to carry that through.'' Clarke sparked the furore last week when he said 1,023 foreign nationals, including murderers and rapists, were released after serving their sentences when they should have been considered for deportation.

''It shows a pretty devastating lack of candour by the home secretary that he didn't even tell the prime minister,'' Conservative immigration spokesman Damian Green told BBC Radio.

''I'm even more concerned that he didn't tell the police.'' ''SLEAZY AND INCOMPETENT'' The Labour party's troubles are compounded by the revelation that Blair's combative deputy John Prescott had conducted an extra-marital affair with his secretary.

A poll conducted yesterday showed a majority think Blair's government is ''sleazy and incompetent'', with the prime minister's personal ratings falling to their lowest level since taking over as Labour leader 12 years ago.

Liberal Democrat leader Menzies Campbell told BBC radio Clarke was unable to ''command public confidence in fulfilling his responsibilities as home secretary'' and should quit.

A Home Office spokeswoman told the Times that officials had first told Clarke on March 30 that serious foreign offenders had been released into the community.

Clarke did not inform Blair about the prisoner error until April 21, the spokeswoman said. Police only began a hunt for the most dangerous 79 offenders last week.

Clarke said his future depended on the backing of his colleagues and the prime minister.

''If I lost that support, that would be different. I hope I will continue as home secretary,'' he told the paper.

Yesterday Blair appeared to give Clarke only lukewarm support when he told the News of the World the Home Secretary's future ''depends on what happens'' as officials check if any released prisoners have committed further offences.

But a spokeswoman for Blair's Downing Street office said Clarke retained the prime minister's backing.

''The prime minister still believes he is the best person to sort out this situation and has full confidence in him,'' she said.

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