Balls! How Gordon’s dream ended

Alistair Darling saw the Prime Minister last night for a long conversation and made it plain he didn’t think he should be thrown out of the Chancellorship.

The chancellor was offered a number of jobs but turned them all down. I believe Mr Darling left still not entirely clear whether he had won his right to stay.

At some point last night – some think before James Purnell’s resignation statement at 10pm – Gordon Brown decided the dream of putting Ed Balls into no. 11 was over.

Mr Balls was too controversial, Alistair was not expendable. The PM’s authority couldn’t tolerate another row.

So … Alistair Darling will stay in place but he hasn’t yet heard it from the PM himself!