Major 's office-Conservatives still have majority .
LONDON 1996-12-06
British Prime Minister John Major 's office said on Friday that rebel Conservative MP Sir John Gorst had not " resigned the whip " ( quit the parliamentary party ) and the government still had a majority in the 651-seat parliament .
" He ( Gorst ) isreserving the right not to cooperate , but he has not resigned the whip .
The government still has a majority , " a spokesman from Major 's office in Downing Street said .
Gorst 's office said later the MP would not feel himself obliged to vote with the government .
He said at one point during a press conference : " I have seen my whip ( party manager ) for next week which , of course , does n't mean very much to me now . "
Before Gorst 's statement , Major had a one-seat majority in the 651-seat House of Commons lower house of parliament .
In his formal statement , Gorst said : " I am today withdrawing my cooperation from the government and shall not treat the " whip ' as either a summons to attend the House of Commons or as placing me under any obligation to vote as advised . "
Gorst resigned over a hospital closure in his constituency .