Britain will continue to stand side by side with US, says Brown

Gordon Brown last night sought to reassure the US that he has no desire to distance himself from President George Bush, insisting that ties between the UK and America were due to get "stronger" while none of the world's major problems could be solved without US intervention.

On the eve of talks with President Bush at Camp David, the Prime Minister declared: "It is in the British interest that the relationship with the United States is our single most important bilateral relationship."

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Mr Brown's first visit to Washington as Prime Minister follows hints from within his Cabinet that he wants to loosen ties with President Bush. It follows reports that the Bush administration is annoyed by Mr Brown's appointment of Lord Malloch-Brown, the former deputy general secretary of the UN and an opponent of the Iraq war, as Foreign Office minister. Soon after his appointment to the Government, Lord Malloch-Brown claimed that Mr Brown and Mr Bush would not be "joined together at the hip" in the way that the President and Tony Blair had appeared to be.

In a statement issued as he prepared to leave for America, Mr Brown said not only was the relationship between Britain and America strong, it "can become stronger in the years ahead".

He sent a message to the White House last night that Britain would continue to stand side by side with America over Iraq and Afghanistan. "We know that we cannot solve any of the world's major problems without the active engagement of the US.

"And just as Britain and America have always stood side by side in tackling the great global challenges of the past, so we will continue to work very closely together as friends to tackle the great global challenges of the future."

He said the relationship between Britain and the US was "founded on our common values of liberty, opportunity and the dignity of the individual".

"The relationship between an American President and a British Prime Minister will always be strong, and I am looking forward to my meeting with President Bush to discuss how we can work together to meet many of the great challenges we face," he said.

The Camp David talks will be his first face-to-face meeting since Mr Brown became Prime Minister. On the agenda are issues including Afghanistan and Iraq, the wider Middle East, trade barriers and climate change. They will also discuss developments in Iran, Darfur and Kosovo.

Mr Brown will also hold talks in New York with the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon.