Blunkett: I thought about opening a bottle to celebrate Shipman death

David Blunkett faced calls for his resignation last night after he admitted he was initially tempted to "open a bottle" to celebrate Harold Shipman's apparent suicide.

In remarkably candid comments describing the pressures of his job, the Home Secretary described his first reaction upon learning of the death of Britain's worst serial killer.

He said: "You wake up and you receive a phone call: Shipman's topped himself. You have just got to think for a minute: is it too early to open a bottle? Then you discover that everybody's very upset he's done it. So you have to be very cautious in this job, very careful."

But Mr Blunkett, who admitted he relied on his special adviser, Huw Evans, to curb his "wilder instincts", said the thought soon passed when he realised Shipman had deprived victims' families of knowing why he had murdered patients.

His provocative comments, a day after he refused to speak publicly on the former GP's death, were made to a group of regional newspaper journalists at a lunch on Thursday. A Home Office spokeswoman said: "All we can say is that we confirm the Home Secretary made those comments."

Frances Crook, director of the League for Penal Reform, said: "If that's the first reaction of a Home Secretary, then the second reaction should be to submit a resignation letter to the Prime Minister. The Home Secretary cannot celebrate the death of someone in his care."

Harry Fletcher, assistant general secretary of the probation union Napo, said: "This is a very offensive remark which will cause a grave offence to many relatives of the victims."

Shipman, 57, who murdered at least 215 patients over 23 years, was found hanged in his cell at Wakefield Prison, West Yorkshire, shortly after 6am on Tuesday.