Brown sets up 'war room' at 12 Downing Street

Gordon Brown is setting up a "war room" to run the country from in a major shake-up of Downing Street.

The Prime Minister and his key advisers are moving their desks from No 10 to an open-plan office along the street.

Mr Brown's new management headquarters will be at No 12, which was historically the home of the Chief Whip but under Tony Blair was taken over by the PM's press office.

Mr Brown will sit at the centre of the room with key advisers and officials ranged around him, including permanent secretary Jeremy Heywood, Cabinet Office Minister Liam Byrne and strategist Damian McBride.

The arrangement is aimed to speed up decision-making during the economic crisis and to improve co-operation by abolishing old fiefdoms among the PM's aides. Mr Brown would have preferred to create the war room in No 10 but planning laws banned him from ripping out walls to open up the warren of offices. The Cabinet will continue to meet in No 10 and the Prime Minister will retreat to his traditional offices to use secure communications.

Mr Brown planned the changes before the economic crisis, to improve co-ordination of decision-making and counter in-fighting between officials.