Brown: Press conference with PM

The prime minister has given the strongest possible indication that he will not move Gordon Brown from the Treasury.

There has been speculation that in a post-election reshuffle Tony Blair could seek to move the chancellor to another post such as the Foreign Office.

But as the two men sought to put reports of election strategy divisions behind them, Blair took to the airwaves to pay warm tribute to the second most powerful man in his government.

At a conference on economic policy, Blair said Brown was "probably the most successful chancellor... the country has had in 100 years".

"So without breaching any of the protocols about how I decide things, we'd be pretty foolish to put that at risk," he added.

"I hope that we can actually get back now and discuss some of the things that are really crucial about whether we can continue with the record that he has set out, that has been so powerful, or whether we are going to return to the Tory time."

Pressed further on the chancellor's future, Blair said: "I've answered that question, I think we'll move on to something else now."

"I've said what I've said and I'm not going to say more because then I'll have to start going through the rest of the Cabinet and that's not right," the prime minister added.

"I'm not going to breach the protocols that prime ministers reserve because it is important that we don't."

The words will have been welcomed by Brown, who was sitting just meters away from the prime minister on the platform.

Brown had earlier been asked about whether the prime minister would let him retain the post after the election.

"That's a decision for him, you can see I am happy doing my job," he responded.