Brown reassures the US after minister sparks row with speech

Downing Street described as "nonsense" and "extraordinary" reports in several newspapers today that Douglas Alexander had used a speech in Washington to signal a change in foreign policy.

No 10 also brought forward an announcement that the Prime Minister will fly to Washington within weeks for his first face to face talks with the President in a bid to show the special relationship is on track.

Mr Brown said on TV "I will continue to work, as Tony Blair did, very closely with the American administration."

But there was concern that the speech by Mr Alexander, the International Development Secretary, was being seen in Washington as another in a long line of signals that Mr Brown would not give the same unqualified support to President Bush as Tony Blair did.

It followed the appointment of former UN official Mark Malloch Brown, a critic of American foreign policy, as a minister and the disclosure that Foreign Secretary David Miliband was uncomfortable about the US-driven support for Israel's conflict in the Lebanon two years ago.

Mr Alexander said nations must follow the rule of law and be "internationalist not isolationist; multilateralist not unilateralist; active not passive; and driven by core values consistently applied, not special interests".

The strength of a nation should be judged not by "what they could destroy" but by "what we can build together".

Although American policy in Iraq was not mentioned, the speech was reported by the Guardian, Times and other newspapers as critical of such policies.

It emerged that Mr Alexander did not send a copy of his speech to No 10 for clearance but the controversial extracts were sent to journalists, giving an impression they were the most significant section.

However, No 10 said it had no argument with Mr Alexander or his officials but felt the newspapers had wrongly interpreted his words.

The Prime Minister's spokesman hit back: "I thought the interpretation that was put on Douglas Alexander's words was quite extraordinary.

"To interpret this as saying anything at all about our relationship with the US is nonsense."

Mr Brown, speaking on breakfast television, said: "We will not allow people to separate us from the United States of America in dealing with the common challenges that we face around the world."

The relationship between the UK Premier and US President was "built on the things that we share, the same enduring values about the importance of liberty, opportunity, the dignity of the individual".

Later, Mr Alexander told the BBC: "Our foreign policy remains the same as it was yesterday and will remain the same tomorrow."