His agenda has been blown apart, but new PM is unshaken

Gordon Brown's first few days in office were not supposed to be like this. Typically, a meticulous approach had been taken that would have set the tone for his term. Today his Government was due to announce sweeping constitutional changes to enhance the role of Parliament.

All that will have to wait now. For bombers, who plotted to cause mayhem and death with their deadly cocktail of gas canisters and petrol bottles, also blew apart Brown's agenda.

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Instead of the listening to constitutional plans MPs will today hear a statement from Jacqui Smith, the new Home Secretary, who is also facing a critical test of her mettle, updating them on the police investigation to smash the suspected terrorist cells who plotted the car bomb attacks.

The office of Prime Minister has lunged at Gordon Brown. Within 24 hours of taking over, three soldiers were killed in Basra, including two from his own constituency in Fife. Now this. So far, though, the firm approach that in the past made him appear dour seems to be serving him well.

Brown's baptism of fire has seen him take personal charge of the emergency Cobra committee and put Britain on "critical" alert for more terrorist attacks.

Blairite ministers had feared Mr Brown's style would be a disadvantage at times when the public glare was on him, but yesterday in his first major interview his gravitas showed through. Speaking to fellow Scot, Andrew Marr, for the BBC AM programme, the Prime Minister's naturally serious demeanour emphasised the threat facing Britain and may have enhanced his leadership, which has already produced a "Brown bounce" in the polls for Labour.

Even some of his critics were impressed by the calm, determined way he managed the crisis without headline grabbing phrases so closely associated with his predecessor Tony Blair.

In the Cabinet reshuffle last week, Mr Brown brought two terrorist experts into the government. He could not have guessed his judgement would be put to the test and vindicated within 48 hours. In a surprise appointment, he brought in the former First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Alan West - a hero of the Falklands War and a critic of Mr Brown's cuts in defence spending - as his minister for terrorism at the Home Office. He also recruited the former Metropolitan Commissioner, Lord Stevens as an adviser on terrorism and brought all spending on anti-terror measures into one budget.

Mr Brown walked into No 10 promising change. Mr Brown had intended his interview to show a striking difference with his predecessor, saying in a deliberate sideswipe at Mr Blair there would be no so-called "sofa government".

At one of its first meetings last week, the Cabinet had a lengthy debate about his plans for constitutional change. They include giving MPs the right to a vote before he can take this country to war again.