The union official who had been earmarked for Fowler, Ed Husic, now needs another seat. There was talk yesterday of putting him into Chifley, held by the Government Whip, Roger Price.

The rescue of Mr Ferguson was a victory for the Deputy Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, over her ministerial colleague and NSW powerbroker, Anthony Albanese. She instructed that Mr Ferguson be found a seat after his electorate of Reid was abolished under an electoral redistribution.

Mr Albanese objected but had no choice after the Herald revealed the Gillard intervention. ''The Red Baron has bombed us all,'' said a factional heavyweight.

Ms Gillard and the Prime Minister owe Mr Ferguson because he supported their leadership coup in December 2006.

Mr Ferguson wanted Fowler, being vacated at the election when Julia Irwin retires. Mr Hayes was fiercely resisting moves to push him out of Werriwa. He is from the electorate, and has strong local support.

But Fowler's branches are controlled by the Right and Mr Ferguson is of the Left. The Right feared that Mr Ferguson would turn Fowler into a Left seat. Mr Hayes is of the Right so he will consolidate Fowler for the faction. Werriwa's branches are controlled by the Left, making it a better fit for Mr Ferguson.

A Right source said had Mr Ferguson been given Fowler, the Left would have seized both Fowler and Werriwa.

The ALP national executive will meet tomorrow night and go through the motions of opening preselections for the Sydney seats of Werriwa, Fowler, Throsby, Greenway and John Murphy's seat of Lowe, which will be renamed Reid. The national executive will decide the candidates for the seats.