Gordon Brown will tomorrow divert to Washington for an emergency finance summit with George Bush at the White House, Downing Street has announced.

Mr Brown had been due to return home from New York tomorrow afternoon after two days discussing poverty and the international financial crisis.

The last minute decision means the Prime Minister will meet the President on the day he tries to get his high risk $700 billion Wall Street bailout through Congress.

The fact that Mr Bush has made time to see Mr Brown tomorrow will be seen as a signal of the President's faith in him on financial matters.

Mr Brown will be visiting Mr Bush “to discuss the global economy and other strategic issues,” a spokesman said.

He will undoubtedly use the opportunity to press for his programme of changes to the international financial system to be introduced.

In another change to the scheduled programme, he will also meet Tim Geithner, head of the New York Federal Reserve, today.

Mr Brown’s announcement tackles head-on Tory criticisms that he was not meeting key decision makers on this US trip.

This comes hours after Mr Brown announced his support for the Wall Street bailout plan of the financial markets, urging the US Congress and international community to swing behind the plan.

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