JOHN REID chaired another meeting of the Cobra Cabinet emergency committee yesterday, while insisting that John Prescott was in charge of the nation.

The Home Secretary’s protestations about not running the show failed to convince anyone. It was clear that Mr Reid has emerged as the immediate political gainer from the foiled attacks on US-bound aircraft and that Mr Prescott has been confirmed in his place on the substitutes’ bench.

Suggestions that the Deputy Prime Minister has been elbowed out of the chairmanship of the Cabinet Office Briefing Room A committee are unfair. It is normal practice for the lead minister, in this case the Home Secretary, to chair it.

In the past the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister have attended while other ministers have chaired those meetings. Last year, after the 7/7 attacks, Mr Prescott was again in charge, but Charles Clarke, then the Home Secretary, chaired Cobra.

Even so, this is Mr Reid’s crisis, not Mr Prescott’s. If Mr Prescott had wanted to disprove all the pre-recess allegations that he was a lame duck, here was his chance. But he has scarcely had a look in. Mr Reid has been aware of the alleged airline plot from the moment he became Home Secretary, as would be expected. He would receive the regular security service briefings. And when the moment arrived to move on Wednesday, he was ready to convene Cobra at short notice, just before midnight. When it reassembled at 5am he was again in charge.

Mr Prescott attended the Cobra meeting on Thursday afternoon but by then Mr Reid had made all the key public statements and announced the “critical” alert, preaching vigilance and revealing that the alleged main players had been apprehended. Mr Prescott, it was suggested, was talking to MPs and ethnic minority groups.

Mr Reid’s holiday plans meant that he was in the country when the decision came to foil the plotters. He was the obvious person to talk to the country: by late yesterday Tony Blair, on holiday in Barbados, had given no public broadcasts. Mr Prescott made his first appearance only yesterday evening and then merely to recite a list of “thank yous” to anyone involved in the counter-terrorism operation. Informing the nation had been left to Mr Reid and Douglas Alexander, the Transport Secretary, who has deeply impressed Labour MPs with his calm response.

Given the deputy leader’s problems before the summer, it was always clear that the rota of ministers would be organised in such a way that other “big hitters” would be around to share the load. Mr Reid has evinced a presidential air in his public appearances. Although Gordon Brown is the overwhelming candidate to succeed Mr Blair, Mr Reid is the only other real contender, and his performance this week has strengthened his position. While few believe that he would defeat Mr Brown, he may well have made it harder for the Chancellor, when he takes over, to dispense with Mr Reid’s services.

At a news conference yesterday, Mr Reid said that it was normal for the Home Secretary to chair Cobra meetings, even if the Prime Minister were present. “These are absolutely conventional arrangements that apply in these circumstances,” he said. “The Home Secretary is charged with security matters. That is part of my responsibility.” He added that Mr Prescott was “playing a particular role in this”.

Mr Reid said that when Mr Blair left for his holiday on Tuesday, ministers had not expected police to move against the alleged plotters so quickly. Mr Reid has had a turbulent baptism during his first 100 days at the Home Office, and he has bruised many egos. Among Cabinet colleagues he may be less popular than he was. But far more in the country now know who he is.

MUSLIM REACTION

Liaqat Hussain, secretary of the Bradford Central Mosque: “There is a genuine fear within the community that we have among us young people who are willing to carry out such acts of violence.”

Iqbal Miah, restaurateur, Leeds: “Many Muslims don’t believe there was a plot. They are convinced that this was about getting Tony Blair out of a spot.”

Mohammed Hussain, worshipper at mosque in Birmingham: “The people arrested are going to be Muslims, no one else, and then later they will find out there is nothing wrong.”

Shaid Malik, MP for Dewsbury, West Yorkshire: “If the recent Times poll was right that 13 per cent of British Muslims believe the 7/7 bombers are martyrs, then people like me have failed.”

Times Recommends

• In Margot Fonteyn's footsteps
• Forget beautiful people, let's have wonky Brits
• Fundamentalist brew: faith and power