Tsvangirai makes fun of Brown during US visit

Zimbabwe’s prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai has made fun of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s flagging political fortunes during a visit to the US.

Mr Tsvangirai said after a speech in Washington that his country’s relations with Britain were sometimes acrimonious because of historical and cultural ties.

But he added with a laugh that he would still go and visit Mr Brown “despite his present circumstances”.

The comment drew laughter at the Council on Foreign Relations, where Mr Tsvangirai was speaking during a three-week tour of the West.

Mr Brown is fighting off calls for his resignation amid dismal public approval ratings, a major political scandal, mass resignations from the cabinet and disappointing results in European Parliament and local elections.