The UK newspapers have interpreted Monday's events as a blow for Chancellor Gordon Brown.

The Sun described the sacking of Harriet Harman, David Clark, Gavin Strang and Lord Richard as "a put-down for Brown".

The paper said that the prime minister had "ruthlessly stamped his authority on the Cabinet".

It added that Gordon Brown had lost his "eyes and ears" at Westminster with Nick Brown moving from Chief Whip to Agriculture.

Daily Telegraph: "Frank Field's resignation puts welfare reform back on the drawing board"

The Sun also is tipping Patricia Hewitt and Charles Clarke to be given government jobs and says that neither of the MPs are "fans of Mr Brown".

The traditionally Labour supporting Guardian's leader column is headlined "Brown loses, Blair gains".

Interpreting the moves

The paper said: "Gordon Brown has lost out badly - watching as key allies have been removed and unfriendly newcomers moved in."

The Times also saw the reshuffle as a snub for the Chancellor and dubbed it "the first truly Blair Cabinet".

Its Political Correspondent, Andrew Pierce, said that the appointment of Stephen Byers to the Treasury rather than the more Brown-friendly Alan Milburn was particularly important.

"Stephen Byers is one of Tony's Friends from the North - a key member of the coterie of north-eastern MPs rising to the top."

The Mirror was particularly scathing about Harriet Harman and said that the former social security secretary was now "out of harm's way".

"Humbled Harriet gets the boot after a string of bungles" was the paper's reaction to her dismissal.

The Mirror was scathing about Harriet Harman

Treasury minister Helen Liddell is tipped by the paper to become Scottish Minister, replacing Brian Wilson, who is thought to be going to be Peter Mandelson's number two at Trade and Industry.

The paper also said that Consumer Minister Nigel Griffiths is likely to get the sack.

'Failure to deliver'

The Daily Mail quotes what it calls "senior Labour sources" on the reshuffle.

They said that Miss Harman and Frank Field had "failed to deliver" on welfare reform and the reshuffle was an attempt to put an end to "personality spats".

The Daily Telegraph took a slightly different line on the events at Social Security and said that "Blair sinks the unthinkable" referring to Mr Field's comments about welfare reform.

The paper insisted that the prime minister would have to put his plans to reform the welfare system "back on the drawing board".

The paper tipped the Birmingham MP Estelle Morris to be promoted to schools minister.

The prime minister will reveal the rest of his reshuffle on Tuesday and the press will no doubt focus on how any changes will affect Mr Brown.