THE decision by John Prescott to give up his grace-and-favour mansion is a case of better late than never. But is it enough?

The fact that he has finally been made to see that he could no longer hang on to Dorneywood is to be welcomed.

The truth, of course, is that he had no real choice because of the damage that the perks-without-responsibilities saga was causing to him and the Government.

The surrender of Dorneywood will help relieve some of the pressure on Mr Prescott but more decisive action at the time of the Prime Minister's reshuffle would have saved the Government from this prolonged embarrassment.

Having had his department removed from him, Mr Prescott should not have been allowed to keep his perks. It was an unacceptable anomaly which Tony Blair should not have allowed.

And although Labour MPs rushed to Mr Prescott's defence yesterday, describing his statement on Dorneywood as "dignified", it is hard to escape the feeling that the Deputy Prime Minister has been dragged kicking and screaming to his senses.

A step - albeit a very reluctant one - has been taken in the right direction. But it remains to be seen whether John Prescott has done enough to survive.

And the challenge remains for the Government to put an end to its accident-prone tendencies of recent weeks and start convincing people that it is back in control.