Why Sarah and Samantha are the voices of reason

There is, among the tightening group of his closest camp followers, a recognition that people will attempt to come for Gordon Brown in the coming weeks.

Friends, or more likely enemies posing as friends, will attempt to claim the Prime Minister's ear and suggest that he should save himself and his party by standing down. They will be wasting their time.

For the majority of his political career, Mr Brown trusted the judgement of few people beyond himself. Nowadays, although he has a fluctuating bunch of advisers around him, on the most important issues he is more likely to seek out advice from his wife.

The revelation yesterday that Sarah Brown was becoming more and more angry with the vitriolic attacks on her husband was a significant development in the unfolding drama over Mr Brown's position. She is fiercely protective of the Prime Minister, but she has in the past provided a calm response to the sporadic problems he has faced since they first came together more than a decade ago.

It was Sarah, the former public relations executive, who two years ago planned and activated "Project Gordon", the celebrated Brown makeover which produced a softer, slicker politician complete with immaculate tailoring, hair and teeth.

The influence wielded by Mrs Brown bears few similarities to the relationship between Samantha Cameron and her husband, the Conservative leader.

While Mrs Cameron distinguishes herself with a profound lack of interest in Westminster politics, she is described as "a powerful influence on her husband" more akin to Cherie Blair than Sarah Brown, and is valued for her ability to advise David Cameron on the impact of his policies.

The fact that Mr Brown, a notoriously stubborn man with little time for dallying over appearances, subjected himself to "Project Gordon" said much about the burgeoning influence of his wife as he prepared to enter Downing Street. Friends confirm that the Prime Minister has become more approachable since he married in 2000, and that a man once consumed by his own career is now "a more rounded individual". The shared experience of losing their first-born child, Jennifer, in 2002, and the discovery that their son Fraser had cystic fibrosis, has inevitably deepened their bond.

A man who as a youth spent a year immobile in a darkened room to save the sight in one eye is unlikely to throw in the towel so early. Mr Brown has spent his adult life preparing for the premiership – and been thwarted on several occasions. Amateur and professional psychologists suggest that he will cling to the prize for as long as he can.

"She will not tell him to give up unless it is really damaging him and the family," one family friend said. "If she is angry, she is more likely to advise him on how to improve things than to cash in his chips."

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