Gordon Brown repeatedly shouted at Tony Blair "you ruined my life" in the final confrontation that forced Blair to agree to announce a date by which he would stand down as prime minister, according to Andrew Rawnsley's new book.

The revelations in the Observer journalist's book, The End of the Party, raised fresh questions this week about the Brown's character and prompted him to deny at prime minister's questions today he had ever sanctioned briefings against his chancellor, Alistair Darling.

The latest disclosures detail the extent to which Brown manoeuvred to oust Blair. Rawnsley describes how in a two-hour morning meeting in early September 2006 Brown insisted not only that Blair step down, but that he fix it so no one stood against him. Blair said he could not deliver that promise. Brown's insistence to Blair that he become prime minister unchallenged is at odds with public proclamations that he would welcome a contest.

The book also says Ed Balls, then City minister and Brown's closest ally, was the driving force behind the coup launched in autumn 2006.

In the final showdown between Brown and Blair, against the backdrop of a backbench letter urging Blair to stand aside, Brown demanded not only a ­public declaration that he would hand over power but also to work as his partner in the interim.

The book says Brown demanded: "Who do you think is better than me? Do you think there is anyone who is better than me?" John Reid was "far too rightwing". Alan Johnson was "a lightweight". David ­Miliband was much too young. Was Blair saying, Brown demanded, that any of them was better qualified to become prime minister?

This face-off came to an end without a resolution. Talking about it afterwards to close allies, Blair described this confrontation with Brown as "ghastly" and "terrible" and told them: "He [Brown] kept shouting at me that I'd ruined his life."

Rawnsley reveals that Brown rang Blair while he was staying with the Queen at ­Balmoral. He was furious that Alan ­Milburn, Blair's close ally, had written a piece supporting the prime minister's right to stay at No 10.

Rawnsley writes: "The chancellor's fury was titanically demented even by his standards. 'You put fucking Milburn up to it,' Brown raged down the phone. 'This is factionalism! This is Trotskyism! It's fucking Trotskyism!' Blair was nonplussed. He had not even seen the article. After the call, he then read it and phoned Milburn to say it was excellent. They laughed about Brown's hysterical reaction." Drawing on witness accounts from within No 10 and the Treasury, Rawnsley also discloses that Balls, in effect, forced Brown into pressing on with the coup. At one meeting at the Treasury, Brown said he needed more time to think, but Balls interrupted: "It's too late. It's all in place. It is going to happen."

Balls was referring to the fact that Tom Watson, then defence minister, was about to hand in a letter of resignation from the government that called for Blair to quit.

Rawnsley writes that at one meeting Balls was vehement Gordon had been "too weak for too long". Balls said: "Blair is never going to go. He has to be pushed. You mustn't be weak. You've been weak for too long." A spokesman for Balls said these ­allegations were untrue. "Mr Balls had always advised Mr Brown to stay out of any 'move to oust' Mr Blair," he said.

Jonathan Powell, Blair's former chief of staff, tells Rawnsley the Brownite coup "fitted with a pattern of behaviour over 13 years". Baroness Morgan, Blair's director of government relations for four years, says Blair knew Gordon was behind it.

In the middle of the coup, the former welfare minister Frank Field went to No 10 to plead with Blair not to give way to Brown. "You can't go yet. You can't let Mrs Rochester out of the attic," he said. Rawnsley writes: "Blair roared with laughter."