Brown claims Lockerbie victory

Gordon Brown has claimed victory in his battle to persuade Britain's top civil servant that he did not help to secure the release of the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing.

Sir Gus O'Donnell, who last month retired as Cabinet Secretary after six years, had suggested the last Labour government did "all it could" to to "facilitate" the release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi. But in an angry exchange of letters, Mr Brown insisted he knew nothing of the plan.

In a final letter, on 21 December, Sir Gus wrote to Mr Brown: "Given your recollection that you, as Prime Minister, did not know of such a policy of facilitation, it is right for me to be clear that I have found nothing in the record to contradict this."

The former PM has welcomed the statement and insisted: "I knew nothing, nor did I initiate or support any attempt to facilitate the Megrahi release".