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After an hour of gladhanding officials, Brown headed to his private office for the first time in a month. He hugged his speechwriter, Beth Russell. A former adviser popped in especially to welcome him “home”.

After a couple of hours’ work he took his weekend red box and headed for the airport with wife Sarah and little son John.

But before he left there was another call from an anxious Blair. The prime minister was still dithering over the appointment of the chancellor’s deputy. Kelly was not keen. Would it be okay if Des Browne was given the job of chief secretary to the Treasury? Brown was relaxed — Browne was an old mate. But the exchange suggested that the relationship between Blair and Brown formed on the election trail is now set in stone for government.()

The first test will come in the next few days. The prime minister let it be known yesterday that he was working on a speech to be delivered this week that will restate Labour’s commitment to seeing through public service reform. His line is likely to be t that there is no turning back: he intends to carry on with his reform programme, including controversial plans for more private involvement in public services, pensions reform and the introduction of identity cards.

It is unclear how Brown will react. However, the Labour backbench “awkward squad” is plainly limbering up for war. These 40-odd MPs who have survived the election debacle can easily overturn Blair’s vastly reduced 66-seat majority.

Robin Cook, the former foreign secretary, set the tone yesterday, calling for Blair to step down early and suggesting that he should do so before the local elections next year.

“Blair’s going to have difficulty getting anything through parliament to do with using the private [sector] to deliver public services, identity cards, civil liberties, incapacity benefit and many other things,” said David Taylor, MP for Leicestershire North West.

Eric Illsley, MP for Barnsley Central, said: “Nothing as controversial as tuition fees is going to get through. You cannot have that cavalier arrogant attitude, that paternal instinct of ‘I know best, trust me’. If 34 MPs vote against, you can’t get a majority. We have had rebellions of 34 at the drop of a hat.”

Despite the threat Downing Street remains bullish. Indeed, there was a touch of this arrogance in its response yesterday.

“People who are saying that there is going to be all this trouble haven’t had enough sleep since polling day,” said a No 10 aide. “Don’t forget we have a working majority that is bigger than Margaret Thatcher had in 1979.”

However, MPs with long memories recall that Thatcher trod carefully after her first victory in 1979. It was only after eight years and three victories that a self-destructive sense of invincibility seemed to have taken over.

So the question overhanging the election aftermath is: what will Brown do?

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