David Miliband rebuffed ministers who have hinted at changes in Britain’s relations with America yesterday by insisting that only he and Gordon Brown spoke with authority on the issue.

As Mr Brown continued to reassure the White House, the Foreign Secretary put down one of his junior ministers, Lord Malloch Brown, whose appointment two weeks ago was hailed as an example of Mr Brown’s aim to run a government “of all the talents”.

Mr Miliband pointed out that Lord Malloch Brown had been appointed by Mr Brown to a particular brief dealing with Africa, Asia and UN reform. The clear implication was that the minister should steer clear of issues outside that remit. The former UN official who has been strongly critical of President Bush over the war in Iraq irritated Downing Street on Friday with an interview in which he said Britain would no longer be “joined at the hip” with the US”.

That followed a speech by Douglas Alexander, the International Development Secretary and close ally of Mr Brown, who said that a country’s strength should no longer be measured by “what they could destroy,” which was interpeted as coded criticism of Mr Bush’s stance.

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The interpetation in Britain of Mr Alexander’s intervention caused alarm in the White House. Sir David Manning, Britain’s Ambassador, reassured senior members of the Admistration, including Condoleezza Rice, the Secretary of State, on Friday night that there had been no change of policy. Yesterday Mr Miliband declared: “Our commitment to work with the Americans in general and the Bush administration in particular is resolute.”

Asked whether there had been a change of tone he said: “No – a straight answer to a straight question.”

Mr Miliband went on: “We are not into the game of hints. If we want to say something you will hear it from the Prime Minister and you will hear it from myself.” Mr Miliband said that Lord Malloch Brown would be an “asset” to British foreign policy but, in an obvious putdown, pointed out that he had a particular brief. “He’s been given a very specific job to do by Gordon Brown, he’s been asked to work on Africa, on Asia and on UN reform.” He added: “Obviously all ministers have things that they’re meant to be doing.”

In a newspaper article Mr Miliband said that there would be no change in Britain’s “vital” alliance with the US.

“With a new Brown government some people are looking for evidence that our alliance is breaking up,” he said. “There isn’t any, and there won’t be any. Nothing has changed. Our single most important bilateral partner is the USA.”

Apparently disowning Mr Alexander’s remarks, Mr Miliband said: “In the real world, the US is the richest country, it has the most powerful military forces, and it is driven forward by optimism and by entrepreneurship – values the world needs. In the real world we are stronger together than apart.”

His efforts to reassure Washington of Mr Brown’s commitment to the “special relationship” came as the Prime Minister prepared to hold talks with Mr Bush at the White House, probably at the end of this month.

In the interview Lord Malloch Brown rejected his “antiAmerican” reputation but added: “I am quite happy to be described as anti-neo-con. If they see me as a villain, I will wear that as a badge of honour.”

He added that British foreign policy was at an “historic juncture” and should reach out more to European partners alongside the US.

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