BRITAIN . . . MAJOR'S BLUFF CALLED

British Prime Minister John Major last week dared his Conservative rivals to "put up or shut up," and today, the Tories put up. John Redwood, a right-wing member of Major's own Cabinet, resigned his post (Welsh Secretary) and declared his candidacy for the Conservative leadership contest that Major himself had boldly scheduled for July 4. Redwood's move ended the appearance of Cabinet unity that Major's supporters had hoped would ensure him victory. The fight now centers on rightist opposition to Britain's economic intergration with Europe. Redwood, a standard-bearer for the Euro-skeptics, read his blunt resignation letter to Major in public: "There is no shortage of people wanting to stand or to support someone other than you." Major, at a European Economic summit in Cannes, fired back: "I am certainly intrigued about it, since he has sat in the Cabinet following our policies for so long."