Reading today’s interview with Alastair Darling in the Daily Telegraph, (http://tiny.cc/7CBpf), things become even clearer about recent events and it is now clear that Purnell, unintentionally saved the careers of Alastair Darling, David Miliband and ……. even helped Gordon Brown survive and continue as PM!

As we know Brown offered Darling the role of Foreign Secretary or Home Secretary the week before the reshuffle.  He was desperate for Ed Balls to be his Chancellor in the final hours in the bunker pre his expulsion at the next election.  Brown had been touting via the no.10 spin machine that this was going to be a radical reshuffle, a fresh start.  But all best plans…..go to waste!  Brown was at the mercy of events out of his control…..first off, Brown was hammered in the local and European elections, then pummelled to the ground by a series of Ministerial resignations, including that of James Purnell, just as polls had closed, (the day before the reshuffle).  Purnell’s was devastating but as events proved….his timing was off!  Brown was now on the back foot…all talk of a radical reshuffle was off the agenda…this was preservation and damage limitation time for Brown.  Hence the tepid and timid reshuffle….none of us are under any illusion that Brown wanted shot of darling and was prepared to see Miliband moved from the Foreign Office as we learn today.

What the shame of this whole episode is we will never know what Brown would have done in his recent reshuffle had James Purnell not resigned pre the reshuffle.  Purnell saved the jobs of both Darling and Miliband.  Purnell made it impossible to move any heavyweights as had Brown faced any more Cabinet resignations he was a goner!.  Miliband & Darling owe Purnell a lot.  I am sure that privately Purnell regrets his resignation timing.  If he had waited just a day or two, Brown would have displaced Darling and / or Miliband and they would have been prime for resignation.  Then Purnell could have acted to devastating effect and brought Darling and / or Miliband with him, to which Brown would never have survived.  That is clear.

So ultimately Purnell can even be credited for saving the Premiership of Gordon Brown!  How bizarre is that? 

No wonder Gordon Brown is laughing……..