PM's team moves to quell revolt

London: The Downing Street spin machine knew something bad was afoot on Tuesday, but did not know precisely what was coming.

So like any good media management operation, they tried to flush out enemies by briefing that Tessa Jowell, the Cabinet Office minister, was set to quit.

The briefing turned out to be wholly wrong, but there were also rumours that a former minister was about to call for a secret ballot on the leadership.

Just before 10.45am Thursday, Geoff Hoon, the former defence secretary and chief whip, sent out a blank e-mail to members of the parliamentary party.

Five minutes before prime minister's questions, the Guardian was able to confirm on its website that Hoon and the former health secretary Patricia Hewitt were going to put out a statement on Gordon Brown's leadership.

Roll call

As Brown got up to the read the roll call of the dead on Afghanistan, now the solemn opening of any PMQs (Prime Ministers Questions), the news was on the website. No 10 political staff looked distracted during the exchanges with David Cameron, exchanges in which Brown scored a clear victory.

Five minutes before Prime Minter's Questions closed, the political team including Michael Dugher, long-time former special adviser to Hoon left the press chamber en masse without speaking to anyone on their way to orchestrate the fightback.

This afternoon, the first man sent out to dismiss the revolt was Tony Lloyd, chairman of the parliamentary Labour party, and the man who would have had to call the unconstitutional secret ballot.

Talking less than two yards from Hoon, in Westminster's central lobby, he was gently scathing.