Brown is initially uncertain of what to do, but his hand is ultimately forced when he is informed that several Labour MPs have threatened to defect to the Liberal Democrats – thereby eliminating Labour's razor-thin majority – if he fails to act.
Brown's initial indecision is replaced by a sense of urgency when he discovers that several Labour MPs are contemplating a switch to the Liberal Democrats, which would jeopardize Labour's narrow majority and require him to act swiftly to prevent this from happening.