By Jack Doyle, PA Political Staff

Around Gordon Brown is a small, tightly-knit group of dedicated and fiercely loyal aides.

Both in the Treasury and in the Commons, the Chancellor has key allies tipped for swift promotion in a Brown Government.

Here are some of the key players in Brown's inner circle:

Ed Balls
It is indicative of his closeness to Mr Brown that when he was Chief Economic Adviser at the Treasury Mr Balls was known as the "deputy Chancellor".

Few, if any, among Mr Brown's coterie command the same degree of access and influence as Mr Balls, who became the Chancellor's right-hand man when Labour was still in opposition.

Behind a slight stammer and a blokey image - Mr Balls is a Norwich City fan - is a smart economist who attended Oxford, Harvard and then joined the Financial Times as a leader writer.

He left the Treasury briefly to run for MP for Normanton at the last election, and then moved back swiftly to become Economic Secretary.

Even if Mr Brown isn't bold enough to move him in next door as Chancellor, Ed Balls is, and will remain, a key political and policy player.

Douglas Alexander
A youthful rising star of the Labour ranks, Mr Alexander became a minister in 2001 at the Department of Trade and Industry and has climbed the ministerial pole with ease ever since.

Now juggling both Scottish Secretary and Transport Secretary briefs, his entry into Labour's top circles started as a researcher with Mr Brown in 1990.

The men have shared Scottish heritage and are both sons of church ministers. His reputation took a knock recently with public and media opposition to road tolls, but he remains a likely promotion candidate.

Alistair Darling
The Trade and Industry Secretary is a good bet for a senior cabinet position under Mr Brown.

An Edinburgh MP since 1987, he has maintained ministerial status throughout Mr Blair's tenure, while keeping at least one foot firmly in the Brownite camp.

He was Chief Secretary to the Treasury before being promoted to the top job at the Department for Work and Pensions and later Transport Secretary.

His reputation as a competent technocrat able to keep a lid on difficult issues counts in his favour, but his Scottishness may be to his detriment if Mr Brown looks for regional balance on the front bench.

Jack Straw
The extent of the former Foreign and Home Secretary's closeness to the Chancellor became apparent when he took the role of Mr Brown's campaign manager for the Labour leadership election.

A return to the Foreign Office - which he is believed to favour - might suffer from Mr Brown wanting to distance himself from Mr Straw's role over Iraq.

Others tip Mr Straw, who is not noted for his ability with numbers, to become Chancellor. Whatever the case, he will be a bridge from the Blair years and one of the few people to maintain constantly a senior Cabinet role since 1997.

Ed Miliband
A long-standing Brown aide, Mr Miliband's career has to date been eclipsed by that of his brother, arch-Blairite and Environment Secretary David, but when Mr Brown takes over that may reverse.

Miliband the younger is yet to face a serious ministerial test, his current post as Charities Minister in the Cabinet Office is hardly challenging - but colleagues rate him as both clever and media-friendly.

He joined Mr Brown's team as a speechwriter and researcher in 1994 and chaired the Treasury's council of economic advisors before becoming an MP in 2005.

Sue Nye
Ms Nye performs a similar role - that of "gatekeeper" - to Mr Brown as Anji Hunter and then Ruth Turner did for Tony Blair.

As well as controlling access, she is credited with smartening up and softening his dour image - and introduced him to his wife.

Ms Nye, who is married to former BBC Chairman Gavyn Davies, is a loyal aide and one of the women closest to the Chancellor.

Shriti Vadera
A little-known investment banker who became a Treasury advisor in 1999, Ms Vadera, who is half-Sri Lankan, may come to fill an important role in policy development at No 10.

She was a director of Oxfam and has a passion for development issues, but also worked on Railtrack re-nationalisation and the privatisation of parts of London Underground.

When Railtrack investors went to court over their losses she was revealed to have criticised shareholders as "grannies".

Before that slip, she was tipped as a future Governor of the Bank of England, but remains likely to enter the top echelons of Brown's first administration in a behind-the-scenes role.