Brown agrees to meet Dalai Lama

Gordon Brown, accused by Tory leader David Cameron of "dithering" over whether or not to meet the Dalai Lama when he comes to Britain in May, finally agreed today that he will definitely welcome the controversial Tibetan leader to Downing Street. He made the announcement during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons.

The visit to Britain by the Tibetan spiritual leader - in exile from Tibet since an uprising against China in 1959 - has been a dilemma for Brown, who visited China in January to foster good relations.

Cameron had already goaded the PM to meet the Dalai Lama before the issue in the Commons today. While Cameron's prodding may have caused annoyance at Downing Street, it has apparently caused fury at the Chinese Embassy. When Cameron told the Chinese ambassador, Fu Ying, that he intended to meet the Dalai Lama, "She threw a hissy fit," according to a Conservative shadow minister. "It was made pretty clear to David that it would be regarded as highly unhelpful."