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Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, Crown Copyright

Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Foreign Secretary David Miliband met the Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Monday 22 June during his visits to the UK.

During a joint press conference Gordon Brown said:

'Today, Prime Minister Tsvangirai, you and the reformers in your interim government represent hope for the people of Zimbabwe. I am glad to be standing together with you in Downing Street today, the first time that British and Zimbabwean prime ministers have done so for 25 years. I pay tribute today to your courage, determination and strength of character.

Zimbabwe’s new government has set out for itself, in the global political agreement, a clear roadmap for reform. Britain wants to help Zimbabwe meet these commitments. We want to see Zimbabwe prosper. We want to see the emergence of a free society and genuinely democratic politics.

I therefore today announce that Britain’s assistance for Zimbabwe will rise to 60 million pounds this year in total, including an additional 4 million pounds for food security to build Zimbabwe’s resilience against further humanitarian shocks. (Read more details on Department for International Development's (DfID) website).

Britain’s humanitarian aid programme is already making an impact on the lives of ordinary people in Zimbabwe: by repairing sanitation systems across the country, we are preventing a renewed cholera epidemic. By building local markets we are putting food in the mouths of hungry children and averting widespread famine.

Prime Minister, a historic opportunity for Zimbabwe is within reach. I assure you that Britain will do everything we can to support you in fulfilling the promise that change offers.

We look forward to working in partnership with you. We look forward to your leadership in shaping a future of hope for Zimbabwe, a future that your people crave.'