Britain:Gordon Brown underlined his declared admiration for Margaret Thatcher yesterday by inviting Britain's legendary Iron Lady for one-to-one talks in 10 Downing Street.
Baroness Thatcher (81) spent more than two hours at her former home and left clutching a bouquet as Westminster pundits pondered the implications for Mr Brown's much-vaunted pitch for a "new politics" transcending the party political.
On the face of it, this was a courtesy call. Baroness Thatcher's spokesman confirmed she had visited John Major and Tony Blair.
Downing Street sources said one of Mr Brown's "biggest and earliest political memories" after becoming an MP in 1983 was of being invited to her Commons office to discuss a speech he had made.
While officially "relaxed" about the imagery of yesterday's warm handshake, senior Conservatives detected more "low politics" in the best New Labour tradition and another attempt by Mr Brown to foment internal Tory divisions concerning David Cameron's leadership.
Last week, likening himself to Baroness Thatcher - "I am a conviction politician like her" - Mr Brown sought to characterise Mr Cameron as the prisoner of Tory factions rather than their leader.
However, there were signs last night that any thought of embarrassing Mr Cameron might rebound on Mr Brown. Paul Kenny, general secretary of the GMB union, described the visit as "a huge political mistake which will cost Labour credibility with core voters and communities up and down the country".
Baroness Thatcher had been forced out of Number 10 by the Tories themselves, he declared: "It is unbelievable she should be invited back by a Labour prime minister."