Brown: War on terror 'will be won in hearts and minds

Gordon Brown today said he could only see victory in the war against terror through winning “hearts and minds”.

The British chancellor said there could be no victory through purely military means, only through success in the “battle of ideas”.

He called for greater unity between the United States and Europe in tackling the threat from al-Qaida, which he said could last for a generation.

Mr Brown said: “I don’t think we can win this through military means in the long run. I think we have got to win this by hearts and minds.”

He said there was a need to isolate extremists from the “moderate majority”.

Mr Brown said: “I think, quite passionately, we need unity from people who are defenders of democracy, people who are to counteract a possibly generation-long threat from people who are prepared to cause carnage.

“We must win this battle of ideas – and it is a battle of ideas about democracy, fairness and justice.”

He added: “It will do us no good in the long run if America and Europe are divided.”

The chancellor was speaking at the Cheltenham Literature Festival where he was promoting his book of collected speeches Moving Britain Forward.

He was responding to a question from the audience about whether, if he became prime minister, he would have a foreign policy that was more independent from the United States.

Mr Brown said: “I think our foreign policy must always be British foreign policy."