Prime Minister Gordon Brown has flown into Washington for a private dinner at Camp David with US President George Bush. It marks the start of the first face-to-face talks between the two leaders since Mr Brown took over at No.10. The Prime Minister, speaking en route to the Maryland retreat went out of his way to praise the President for his "leadership in this fight against international terrorism".And the Prime Minister was at pains to point out his own close personal ties to America, speaking of the UK and US's "shared destiny". Mr Brown's spokesman said the Prime Minister hoped the two leaders' discussions would see progress on world trade talks and ending the bloodshed in Darfur, as well as covering a wide range of issues from Iraq and Iran to climate change.
The Prime Minister and President will hold formal talks, when White House and Downing Street officials plus Foreign Secretary David Miliband and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will join them. The two leaders will then host a joint news conference at Camp David before Mr Brown moves on to Capitol Hill for cross party talks with leading figures from the Senate and House of Representatives. (Daily Express)