GORDON BROWN yesterday dismissed this week’s failed challenge to his leadership as a “storm in a teacup”.

Nevertheless, it has become increasingly clear over the past 24 hours that former ministers Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt were under the impression that they would receive significant Cabinet backing.

As we said in this column yesterday, it is hard to imagine that the rebellious pair would have acted alone – they must have anticipated greater support than they ended up receiving.

But the BBC’s suggestion that as many as six Cabinet members were thought ready to turn on the Prime Minister, has thickened the plot considerably.

The fact that Cabinet members took so long to publicly support Mr Brown when the attempted coup came to light on Wednesday had already fanned the flames of suspicion.

We note that those ministers have stuck to the line that they were busy “dealing with the real issues”. But the likes of David Miliband must have known how any delay in responding to the attack on the Prime Minister would be perceived.

Rightly or wrongly, we are left with the damaging impression that a number of Cabinet members were biding their time to see who would jump.

And, when no one did, they were forced to give Mr Brown their grudging support.

The folly of it all, of course, is that David Cameron is rubbing his hands in glee.

The Tory leader had every right to expect some dirty fighting during the election campaign. What a pleasant surprise it must be for him that the back-stabbing is taking place within the Labour Party.