Gordon Brown delivered his most pro-European speech to date as he sought to gain transatlantic consensus ahead of next week's G20 summit.
Addressing the European parliament yesterday on the first day of a diplomatic offensive in the run-up to next Thursday's summit, the British prime minister lavished praise on the European Union – but was rebuked for his rhetorical protectionism.
His address came as Barack Obama appealed to leaders of the G20 countries to follow the US lead by taking action to stimulate their economies. “We are living through a time of global economic challenges that cannot be met by half measures or the isolated efforts of any nation,” the US president wrote in a column in leading newspapers.