A Blairite source tells Guido that last night Brown’s henchmen started calling ministers from 10 pm when Purnell’s bombshell exploded, demanding in no uncertain terms  that they publicly back Brown if they wanted to keep their jobs in today’s re-shuffle.

Caroline Flint, who is not a renowned fan of Gordon, issued a statement of support last night.  Might as well keep the ministerial pay and perks for as long as possible…

UPDATE : Is it only the Fink and Guido who are amused that last night Hutton released a statement saying Purnell had made the wrong decision to resign, before resigning this morning?