Steve Richards: Inside No 10's bunker, the gang of three hatch a strategy for survival

While ministers and MPs were scattered around the country seeking last-minute support in the European and local elections, Gordon Brown spent much of yesterday in No 10 plotting his survival.

For Brown the key figures in the current storm are Peter Mandelson and Ed Balls. Mandelson was in No 10 by 8am yesterday. His other close ally, Ed Balls, also popped in briefly before heading off to his constituency in Normanton to take part in the final hours of the election campaign. The three of them had also met the night before.

On the agenda yesterday was the timing of the pivotal cabinet reshuffle and Brown's agenda for the next couple of weeks as he battles to remain in No 10. The substance of the reshuffle was not discussed at either meeting, but on the crucial element of timing, it is thought that Mandelson and Balls advised Brown to make his changes early if it were feasible to do so.

In a series of phone calls with other close allies, Brown was told that the reshuffle was a test of his authority and he needed to act decisively and boldly. They warned that timidity would be counter productive. All said they were confident that the insurrection could be contained. One or two said that Hazel Blears' eve of polling day resignation had hindered the rebels' cause as so many MPs and activists were angered by her timing.

Brown spent much of the day planning the reshuffle, a game of chess so complex his advisers could not specify whether it would go ahead today or early next week. He cannot afford any slip-ups. Before they headed for their constituencies for polling day, Brown had meetings with Shaun Woodward, John Denham and Alistair Darling. He was in contact with several ministers by phone. Brown knows that if he can announce a new Cabinet, part of the drama would be resolved: there would be no chance of a fresh ministerial mutiny once a Cabinet agreed to serve under his leadership.

Brown also held several meetings to discuss short-term media strategy. The battle for momentum will take place on the airwaves over the next few days. One of the few women ministers still in a senior position, Yvette Cooper, was asked to perform this morning on GMTV and several other outlets. Downing Street was pleased with the ministerial response to the Blears resignation, with a range of cabinet ministers giving interviews. Brown expects rebels to break cover, and a similar media operation is planned for today. Insiders say several senior ministers have been in touch offering to join the media onslaught.

In No 10 they say Brown is calm. Last night he had a long chat with President Obama before returning to his plans to recast the Government. The day before he took a break from saving his career to host a meeting with the Prime Minister of Singapore. One insider who has been with Brown in the midst of various dramas over the years says that he is more serene when his back is against the wall. He adds that while this remains the most dangerous phase of Brown's career, the mood within No 10 is more upbeat than Wednesday, when they faced the resignation of Blears and the prospect of Prime Minister's Question Time.

Is the determined optimism a sign of deluded insularity from within the bunker? We will know in the next few days. What is certain is that Brown's probably limited capacity for calm in a crisis will be tested like never before.