Due process...

Brown bought himself a few months at least with his speech yesterday but the leadership issue has by no means disappeared.

Two East Midlands Labour MPs – who have given their backing to the PM publicly – said to me that they wouldn't push for a leadership contest and didn’t think one would be helpful, but if one were to come about their support for the leader would not necessarily be automatic.

A decision on who to cheer for would be based on who the other candidates were and the situation at the time, they said.

Before Ruth Kelly’s resignation she was overheard describing Brown’s speech as terrible, and with at least one other cabinet member briefing journalists against the PM he has a tough job to decide what shape his new cabinet will take – keep your friends close, but your enemies closer?

Joseph Watts
Parliamentary Correspondent