Clooney drops in on Brown at Number 10

Prime Minister Gordon Brown yesterday played host to the Hollywood actor George Clooney, in town to promote his new film Leatherheads with co-star Renee Zellweger (pictured). Clooney - a UN peace envoy to Darfur - met Brown and his wife Sarah to talk about China's foreign policy in Sudan. The PM praised the actor for drawing attention to violence in Darfur and said he was grateful for the Oscar-winner's "leadership".

Clooney later described the Prime Minister as "amazingly helpful" in his support in bringing stability to the war-torn region, adding that "a wonderful suggestion" had been made at the meeting - a fund to lease helicopters in Darfur to create "some security".

Then it was on to Leicester Square for the British premiere of Leatherheads, Clooney's third directorial outing. He will be hoping that the movie, a romantic comedy set against the backdrop of American football in the Twenties, performs better in Britain than it has so far in the States, where it opened at a disappointing number three in the box office chart.