Brown faces the press pack

Every time I’ve stood in a queue waiting for these No10 press conferences, the chat is usually “he’s really screwed now.” We’re usually disappointed. Same this time. This was neither the triumph nor the crucifixion many had predicted. Here’s my summary.

1) No speech: Blair would always start his hour-long press conferences with a little speech – using the focus of 24-hour News. Brown didn’t. A reminder of how unsure he still is on TV.

2) Whodunnit?? “My first instinct, if I were honest with you, was that I wanted to get on with putting my vision of the country across… but I did listen to people”. Ah, the dastardly others. He later named his Home Secretary as one of them.

3) The cock crows: Three times, he disowned his advisers. He told Patrick Wintour he had no idea that his aides briefed on the day he became Labour leader that there would be an early election.