text: 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, doesn'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.
competitors: Kerr-McGee