New beginnings?

Other observers have depicted them as rivals, with Gordon Brown the brooding plotter, still straining every sinew to achieve his dream of being Tony Blair's successor.

But according to English language John McRae, an audacious attempt has been made to draw to a close that particular soap opera scenario, so revelled in by the tabloids and Westminster gossips.

Instead, he claims the pair's joint press conference to outline the benefits of the euro signalled a fresh start, a "marriage of true minds", cooperation, rather than a competition.

They have enjoyed creating this soap opera - the warring couple, people living next door, but not speaking to each other sort of story Prof John McRae

"They were presenting themselves not as an axis of competition but an axis of collaboration and the important issue was to keep it on message," said the lecturer in English language at the University of Nottingham.

"They clearly had their "I" roles, but the whole presentation was to be equals."

Needs must

Prof McRae said this new approach was evident from their arrival together, their decision to sit closely behind a small table rather than two opposing podiums, to their leaving the Downing Street conference at the same time.

Mr Blair was also trying to prove that he did appreciate it was important to get the economics right on the euro decision - and he needed Mr Brown to be able to achieve this, said Prof McRae.

McRae: Muses over Brown's accession to the top job

"Gordon has the sort of intelligence, the solid economic back up that Tony needs and I think that this was the purpose, much to my surprise, with doing this," he said.

"They were showing how they need each other.

"The smooth presentation and the hard work is Gordon's. He's the one who will sit at the desk, does all the hard work, produces the 18 volumes of documents.

"If they had been a couple trying to make up after a row, there would be a little bit more looking at each other."

Love and hate

Prof McRae said Brown and Blair had clearly been prepared for questions about their oft parodied relationship, with the prime minister warning reporters that nothing is seen through a "prism of personality".

When one reporter mentioned Matthew Parris's analysis in The Times that the pair "hate each other, always love each other and both need each other", Mr Brown said to Mr Blair: "That's one for you," while the prime minister retorted that the comments said more about their author.

It's a new beginning for Gordon as a sort of equal collaborator Prof John McRae

Prof McRae said: "When the soap opera question came up, they both grinned and enjoyed it. They have enjoyed creating this soap opera - the warring couple, people living next door, but not speaking to each other sort of story.

"They tried to show a whole new perspective on the soap opera, trying perhaps to kill the warring couple and show 'we're getting on with the job', a sort of Band of Brothers, axis of collaboration, 'we're not playing to the gallery' kind of thing.

"They hardly bothered looking at each other. They were working on trust, as equals.

"This was much more an in your face presentation of exactly what the people didn't think they were going to get.

"People thought it was going to be the healing of the breach between Blair and Brown, but they were saying there is no breach."

The English lecturer even mused that this could be the start of the "grooming of Gordon" for the role of prime minister, so the accession is more of a "natural handing on of the job, rather than a competition".

"If they had given an inch of banter and back slapping, people will have seized on that, but there wasn't.

"The whole point is," said Prof McRae, that for Blair and Brown "this was the end of that soap opera - it's a new beginning for Gordon as a sort of equal collaborator."