Has the President misjudged Mr Brown's style?

Perhaps it wasn't the most appropriate present Gordon Brown has ever received. When he left Camp David on Monday, George Bush handed him a brown leather bomber jacket.

It bore the US presidential seal, with its symbol of an eagle, olive branch and arrows, and the label "Rt Hon Gordon Brown". It came in a huge cardboard box wrapped in gold paper also bearing the presidential seal.

The jacket was the same as the one worn by Mr Bush at Camp David at his first meeting with Tony Blair in 2001. At the time, the item of clothing that attracted most attention was Mr Blair's trousers, later described as "ball-crushingly tight" by Sir Christopher Meyer, who was Britain's ambassador in Washington.

Downing Street refused to comment on Mr Brown's rather unexpected present last night, saying it never commented on gifts. His aides said they were "not pleased" that the news had leaked out. The choice of gift will raise eyebrows because the bomber jacket might have been more appropriate for Mr Blair, given his "shoulder-to-shoulder" support for Mr Bush in Iraq. Before Mr Brown's trip to the US, the American media was awash with speculation that the Prime Minister would not have such a close personal bond with the President as his predecessor. At their press conference, Mr Brown acknowledged the problems in Iraq and made clear the withdrawal of British troops from the Basra area would not be delayed to avoid looking at odds with the "surge" of US forces in the Baghdad region.

Although Mr Brown voted for the Iraq invasion and publicly supported Mr Blair's decision, he has hinted he might not have gone to war so quickly by backing a multilateral foreign policy.

It is understood that Mr Brown gave Mr Bush a more conventional present - a book about Winston Churchill, the first British prime minister to visit Camp David. During his visit, Mr Brown repeatedly referred to Churchill as he spoke about the historic links between the US and Britain. Mr Blair loaned a bust of Churchill to Mr Bush for the duration of his term of office.

Details of gifts to ministers which are worth more than £140 are now published by the Cabinet Office. Its records show that in January 2003, Mr Blair received a holdall from the US government. In July that year, Mr Bush gave him some silver beakers. They were not purchased by Mr Blair for his personal use, which ministers are allowed to do if they want to keep presents worth more than £140.

Office gifts

* In 2005, John Prescott faced personal ridicule when he was presented with a cowboy outfit during a visit to the Texan ranch of the tycoon Philip Anschutz, who was bidding to open a supercasino at the Millennium Dome.

* Tony Blair was haunted by offerings of jewellery and watches - "Berlusconi's bling" - from the then Italian Prime Minister. Silvio Berlusconi lavished gifts on the Prime Minister and his wife including 18 watches, bracelets, a ring and earrings.

* Margaret Thatcher had regular gifts of jewellery, including a string of gifts from Middle Eastern states. But there is no record of any valuable gifts from her great ally Ronald Reagan.

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