Egypt’s Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister announced his resignation yesterday, the day after President Mohamed Morsi vowed a government reshuffle to tackle the country’s troubled economy. Meanwhile, former president Hosni Mubarak was being transferred to hospital after his health deteriorated.

Mohammed Mahsoub said he was stepping down because “many policies and efforts contradict my personal convictions,” according to his letter published on the Facebook page belonging to a leader of his moderate Islamist Wasat party.

He also criticised the Government’s failure to recover funds allegedly embezzled by members of ousted leader Hosni Mubarak’s discredited regime.

His resignation came two days after that of Morsi’s Communications Minister, Hany Mahmud, who blamed “the current situation in the country”.

Mahsoub, Wasat’s deputy head, had backed Morsi against the secular-leaning opposition through a deep political crisis over a new constitution that became law this week.

Weeks of protests and violent clashes preceded the referendum this month on the constitution, which was drafted by an Islamist-dominated panel boycotted by Christians and liberals.

In a speech on Wednesday, Morsi hailed the Constitution and said he was mulling ministerial changes.

“I will deploy all my efforts to boost the Egyptian economy... and I will make all the changes necessary for this task,” Morsi told a gathered crowd.

Meanwhile Egypt’s state prosecutor yesterday ordered imprisoned former dictator Hosni Mubarak to be transferred to a military hospital after his health deteriorated, a source at the prosecutor’s office said.

Mubarak, serving a life sentence over the killings of protesters, was briefly taken to hospital on December 19 for scans after he fell in his prison bathroom and hurt his head.

Mubarak, 84, will be returned to prison after he is treated, the source said.

A court sentenced the veteran strongman to life in June for failing to prevent the killings of protesters during the 18-day revolt that ended his three-decade rule in February 2011. Some 850 people died in the uprising.

Mubarak spent nearly a month in hospital after he fell unconscious on June 19, with state media declaring him clinically dead on arrival. But medical sources said he appeared to have fallen into a temporary coma.