Mr Balls even raised the prospect of Mr Brown leading the party into the election after this one and going “on to our fifth term”, something that could see him in his job for a full decade from 2017. Hardly serious talk, but Mr Balls convinced some colleagues that his plan is to keep Mr Brown in his job for another year or two, regardless of the election result. He would then succeed his old boss in a stage-managed succession. Even Mr Balls’s detractors say he must be taken seriously. “God knows I loathe the man, but he’s turning himself into a credible leader,” says one Labour candidate.