Short's career is finished, says fellow minister

Clare Short is "finished" as a political heavyweight, despite her change of heart last week in which she withdrew her threat to resign, according to a fellow cabinet minister.

The minister who made the comment said it was based on a conversation with Tony Blair, who is reputed to have lost patience with his unpredictable International Development Secretary.

Challenged in the Commons last week about whether he had confidence in Ms Short, Mr Blair instead praisedher department.

Ms Short was in 10 Downing Street yesterday morning for a meeting of the war cabinet, to discuss post-war reconstruction in Iraq, after a two-day visit to New York.

She left for New York soon after it was learnt that the Speaker had allowed the Conservatives to ask a Commons question on the same subject. The Foreign Office minister, Mike O'Brien, had to answer the question in her place – with, reportedly, only 20 minutes' notice.

Ten days before the war began, Ms Short threatened to quit the Cabinet if Britain went to war without the direct backing of the United Nations, and described Mr Blair's handling of the crisis as "reckless".

Last week, she announced that she had decided that it would be "cowardly" to leave the Cabinet now.

In another development, Foreign Office sources have privately confirmed that one of their most experienced civil servants, Elizabeth Wilmhurst – a legal adviser to the Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw – has resigned amid disagreement over the legality of a war without UN backing.

Ms Wilmhurst worked at the Foreign Office for 30 years, including acting as adviser to the previous Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, who resigned from the Cabinet last week.

News of Ms Wilmhurst's resignation comes as one of Tony Blair's key allies pleaded yesterday for "mutual respect" between supporters and opponents of the war.

John Reid, the Labour Party chairman, spoke against a background of street protests and continuing signs of a political backlash among Labour's natural supporters opposed to the conflict.

As well as Ms Short, the Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, who advised Mr Blair that military action is legal under international law, took part in the war cabinet meeting yesterday.

Ministers were told by intelligence officers that civilian casualties from the bombing of Baghdad have been low.

Dr Reid told delegates to Labour's Scottish conference that the bombing seen on television had been carefully aimed at government targets, not at civilian areas.

He added: "While, of course, we can challenge each other's conclusions – that is the essence of a democratic society and a democratic party – don't let us question each other's motives.

"There is no one in this hall, or this country, who has a monopoly of concern, of compassion or of righteousness."

He pleaded with delegates to unite around issues on which they all agreed, including opposition to chemical and biological weapons, and a "just and lasting settlement" in the Middle East.

Yesterday, the trade minister Stephen Timms, MP for the largely Asian constituency of East Ham, became the first pro-war minister to face a personal campaign from Muslim and anti-war constituents. He clashed with local Muslim leaders last week after allegedly telling them that, as a Christian, he supported war without a UN mandate.