Actor, model, whatever... Gordon falls for the lure of celebrity culture

As he prepared to succeed Tony Blair as prime minister, Gordon Brown made clear his distaste for celebrity politics. He was marking a break from Mr Blair, who toasted New Labour's success with Britpop stars, and distancing himself from a young Tory leader keen to win endorsements from the rich and famous.

In an interview last April, Mr Brown said: "I think we're moving from this period when, if you like, celebrity matters, when people have become famous for being famous. I think you can see that in other countries too – people are moving away from that to what lies behind the character and the personality."

After a year in office, however, it turns out that the notoriously dour Prime Minister is not averse to allowing the occasional well-known face into No 10 after all. Mindful of the successes Bono and Bob Geldof have enjoyed in highlighting global poverty, he realises that celebrities can help to bring worthy subjects to the attention of voters more preoccupied with Big Brother than Third World debt.

The supermodel Naomi Campbell this week became the latest A-lister to be carved out time in the Prime Minister's packed diary. She was in Downing Street to discuss charity work to reduce maternal mortality in developing countries with Sarah Brown but also met her husband.

Campbell said they "touched on issues happening in the world right now, like Burma" as well as the earthquake in China.

Claiming that he showed no strain from the problems of dismal ratings and restive Labour MPs, she said: "He was very jolly. People are good under pressure." Sarah Brown was "very nice and very passionate about what she is doing". "It affects all of us," said Campbell. "I would like to go to Tanzania or wherever it is important to get this message across. It's not just about sitting back and talking about it."

Sol Campbell, the former England star, also led a series of footballers into Downing Street this week to highlight the fight against racism in the sport.

Providing education for the world's poorest children has long been a subject close to Mr Brown's heart. But it received scant attention until three weeks ago when the Prime Minister took part in a telephone conference call with Shakira, the Colombian singer best known for her raunchy pop hits, who spends much of her time campaigning on behalf of deprived children.

The Prime Minister praised Shakira's inspirational work and she returned the compliment, saying he was a "man with wonderful intentions".

The actor George Clooney also received the Downing Street red carpet treatment last month. The Hollywood heartthrob, who is also a UN "messenger of peace", was invited for talks with Mr Brown on the humanitarian disaster in Darfur.

After the meeting – and before heading to Leicester Square for the British premier of his latest film – Clooney disclosed that the men had discussed plans to lease or buy helicopters to help bring a semblance of security to the region.

Mr Brown's face was also beamed into millions of American homes in April in a widely-mocked video message for a charity edition of the talent show American Idol. He announced that Britain was buying 20 million mosquito nets to combat malaria in Africa.