Gordon Brown and President Barack Obama held talks at the White House 3 March 2009 and reaffirmed their commitment to the “special relationship” between the UK and the US.

Speaking to journalists at a press conference following the one-to-one meeting, Mr Brown said he had flown to Washington to renew the strong cooperation between the two countries and to build a shared commitment to dealing with the current global economic crisis.

The PM said he and Mr Obama had discussed the possibility of a “global new deal” involving countries around the world helping to clean up banking systems and that the G20 would have an important role to play in addressing economic issues.

The Prime Minister said: “I have come here to renew our special relationship for new times. It is a partnership of purpose born out of shared values. It is a partnership of purpose founded on determination to rise to every challenge and it is a partnership of purpose driven forward now by the need for all of us to work together to deal with the world’s economic problems.”

Mr Obama also hailed the strength of the UK-US relationship and said suggestions that its importance was waning were “misguided”. The bond between the two countries was one that “will not break” and was of importance to all American people, he said.

The President said: “Great Britain is one of our closest and strongest allies and there is a link and bond there that will not break.

“This notion that somehow there is any lessening of that special relationship is misguided… The relationship is not only special and strong but will only get stronger as time goes on.”

The two leaders discussed a range of issues alongside the economy, including Iraq, Afghanistan and the situation in Palestine.