Plot to oust Blair as PM during London blasts: Documents

The rivalry between Blair and Brown was an open secret, but this is the first time the intensity of their tussle for power has emerged on record.

The revelations are particularly damaging because the intrigues continued even as efforts were on to deal with the London blasts.

The Daily Telegraph obtained more than 30 memos belonging to Ed Balls, who was the Education secretary then and one of Brown`s closest advisers.

It ran the story under the headline "Revealed: Ed Balls and the `brutal` plot to topple Blair".

Blair stepped down as prime minister and Brown took over in June 2007.

Publishing the secret memos today, the newspaper also names current Labour leader Ed Miliband and shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander as being involved in `Project Volvo`, which was supposedly an attempt by his allies to re brand Brown in his bid to take over as the prime minister.

The documents reportedly disappeared from Ball?s Department for Education during the 2010 general election.

The Cabinet Office is looking into whether there were any "breaches of document security within government."