Fraser Nelson

It's over and Brown is safe. This, at least, is the verdict from the Commons bars from which I have just done a brief tour to sample the mood on behalf of Coffee Housers. One minister I spoke to - by no means a diehard Brown loyalist - whipped out a list of dissenters who had spoken at the meeting. He had jotted down the names by instinct. It kinda reminded me of that Judean People's Front sketch where they read out the name of a rival group and shout "splitters!" It's within Labour's instincts. Sniff out and round on the minority faction. It's what they do. I haven't spoken to anyone who claims Brown didn't do well, nor anyone who thinks his survival is an issue. The atmosphere is one of relief from everyone.

It gets worse for Labour members. As if yesterday's survival of Brown were not enough, as if tomorrow's Euro results will not make them suicidal, Guido has today exposed the lines that the automaton ministers are told to take about it all (see here) and the effect seems to be to hollow out the soul of the party. The tragedy is that Brown finds people to actually say this tripe. There has, so far, been a striking absence of free-speaking Labour MPs (Siobhan McDonagh and a few others excepted) but seeing this script drives home the situation Where once there was a living, breathing party there is now a few hundred MPs who seem to be there just to collect the salary. They can't even take control of their own leadership.

I was at Brown's press conference today and decided to tackle him on the way he spun the last Budget. Off topic on a momentous day like today, I know, but it was towards the end of the conference and the old rogue may be gone within a month. I may never get another chance to tackle him directly on the way he has misled the public over the huge cuts he has planned for us post-election. It seemed all the more relevant because his theme was that he is an honest chap. “Candid”, he said. He quoted his father telling him "always be honest". And then he claimed that the choice at the next election was between a party of cuts and one of investment. So when my turn came to ask a question, I addressed what is - in my view - one of the worst falsehoods he is peddling.

I can reveal that James Purnell was offered education, which he turned down, and decided to resign because he couldn't go on continuing to go out in public and support a PM whom he'd lost faith in months ago. It's an open secret that Purnell supported David Miliband for the leadership last summer. And, in this context, reports of Miliband's resignation, expected tomorrow, made sense - it would have been four Cabinet resignations in four days. But Miliband has apparently denied it - to quit now, and choose the wilderness, takes a certain sort of courage. As Miliband showed us last summer, he doesn't have it. I believe Purnell when he says he acted alone - if he waited for some co-ordinated attempt he would be waiting forever.

No one does it better than The Prince. So I have written up Lord Mandelson's comments on Simon Mayo's R5 programme (which I mentioned earlier) as they set a template for all ministers who will try to get through the next five days. They represent a truly audacious attempt to make the following four points...   a) All this is nothing to do with Brown's leadership crisis - it's just the expenses crisis, which understandably focuses on the government. b) Poor wee Hazel, poor wee Jacqui, they couldn't cope with the pressure. c) And did I remember to hint that their expenses were a bit suspect? d) Talk about Brown's leadership is gossip - just the wicked, shallow media focusing on personalities. So, now, over to The Prince... 1. Everybody hurts.