LONDON (AFP/Reuters) - A defiant Gordon Brown vowed to tough it out as Britains prime minister Friday after four members of his cabinet quit and his governing Labour party faced the prospect of election meltdown. I will not waver, I will not walk away... I will get on with the job, Brown told a Press conference after announcing a cabinet reshuffle to stem the haemorrhaging of authority in his position. The shake-up, originally expected next week, was brought forward after four cabinet ministers quit within 24 hours - taking the total number of ministerial resignations in the past week to 10. James Purnell delivered a withering call for Brown to stand down or face defeat at the next general election as he quit as Work and Pensions Secretary. The resignations of Defence Secretary John Hutton, Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon and Welsh Secretary Paul Murphy followed hours later. Bob Ainsworth was named to replace Hutton. I now believe that your continued leadership makes a Conservative victory more, not less, likely. That would be disastrous for our country, Purnell wrote in his resignation letter late Thursday. I am therefore calling on you to stand aside to give our party a fighting chance of winning. As such I am resigning from government. Europe Minister Caroline Flint accused Brown of using women as female window-dressing in his government when she quit her post on Friday. News that Europe Minister Caroline Flint was also quitting her non-cabinet position broke as Brown was speaking. He said she would be replaced by former Labour party leader Neil Kinnocks wife Glenys, now an MEP. Flint later launched an extraordinary attack on Brown, accusing him of using her as female window dressing. David Cameron, leader of the main opposition Conservatives, basked in the implosion and said Fridays events showed the government was completely falling apart. There was glimmer of light for him Friday as Alan Johnson took over as Home Secretary and insisted he was not seeking to be premier. Finance Minister Alistair Darling, Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Business Secretary Peter Mandelson kept their jobs in cabinet reshuffle by Brown, officials said. Mandelson has been given extended powers as first secretary of state as well as business secretary. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith plus Communities Secretary Hazel Blears and two junior ministers all indicated they would quit earlier this week. Although EU election results are not due until Sunday, Labour has suffered heavy losses in the council elections. With results in from 15 councils, the Conservatives have gained 134 seats and Labour have lost 126.