Goodwin dined at Chequers prior to bank bailout

Fred 'the Shred' Goodwin, the disgraced former head of the Royal Bank of Scotland, was wined and dined at Chequers by Gordon Brown in the same year that his bank haemorrhaged £24bn.

Sir Fred, who resigned in October after presiding over the biggest losses in Britain's financial history, visited Chequers with his wife Lady Joyce in 2008 shortly before the bank's collapse.

The RBS chief's name appears in a celebrity-studded list of those who have been the guests of Gordon and Sarah Brown at the Prime Minister's official country residence.

The eclectic list, which includes comedians Jimmy Carr and Bruce Forsyth and actors Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman, was released yesterday by Downing Street as part of an announcement about Government costs.

Goodwin was one of several bankers on the guest list, along with Sir Victor Blank, the former chairman of Lloyds banking group, who was forced to stand down in May when it emerged Lloyds had made crippling losses from its merger with HBOS.

Blank famously cleared the way for the merger after meeting Brown at a reception. Lloyds chief executive Eric Daniels, who now heads up the new bank, was also on the list.

Other guests were Little Britain comedians Matt Lucas and David Walliams, fashion designer Ozwald Boateng, opera singer Lesley Garrett, author Bill Bryson, veteran football commentator John Motson and Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes.

GMTV presenter Lorraine Kelly also received an invitation, as did her ex-colleague Kate Garraway, who brought along her husband Derek Draper, the former Labour spin doctor.

It was also revealed that the Prime Minister received an iPod, CDs and a book from George Bush last year, as well as three boxes of designer ties from Silvio Berlusconi.

Two gifts of wine from Nicolas Sarkozy were worth more than £140 - the threshold over which gifts must be registered. This means Downing Street must retain the wine, but Brown is allowed to taste them at official receptions.