A climate-change protester tried to superglue himself to the Prime Minister last night.

Dan Glass covered his hand with glue and placed it on the PM’s sleeve at an awards ceremony at 10 Downing Street. He had smuggled the glue in in five pouches attached to his underwear and poured it over his hand during Mr Brown’s speech.

Mr Glass told the PM: “Do not worry, this is a non-violent protest. I have actually just superglued myself to the buttons of the Prime Minister.

“We cannot shake away climate change like you can just shake away my arm. We can beat climate change, but this is not going to happen by planning the world’s largest international airport at Heathrow.

“Climate change as we know it is the defining issue of our generation and you have got to start standing up to the bullies at BAA and start standing up for the British public.”

The 24-year-old student from Barnet in north London said that he was given a round of applause by the audience and said Mr Brown had repeatedly pulled his hand to detach it.

He said: “I just glued myself to him and after 20 seconds he tore my hand off - it really hurt. He had to give it a couple of tugs before it came away.

“He was just grinning about it. He didn’t seem to take me seriously.”

In an audio recording of the protest, the Prime Minister can be heard laughing as the stunt began.

Mr Glass, from anti-aviation group Plane Stupid, was invited to the event to receive an award for his campaigning activities from the Sheila McKechnie Foundation.

After the incident he was allowed to stay in Downing Street for 40 minutes, he said. When he left the building he tried to glue himself to the gates of Downing Street but had his hand detached by a police officer.

“I didn’t have much glue left by that point,” he added.

The Metropolitan Police said there had been no breach of security and confirmed that Mr Glass was an invited guest.

Whitehall sources said the gluing attempt had been unsuccessful and there had been no threat to the PM.

A spokesman for the Prime Minister laughed off the incident. He said: “As far as we are concerned, nothing really happened.

“There was a light-hearted and not particularly successful demonstration at a reception that was being hosted at Downing Street.”

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