Baroness Amos, the Labour peer, will represent Britain at this week’s EU/Africa summit and plans to join criticism of President Mugabe during a session on governance and human rights.

The former International Development Secretary and Leader of the Lords is preparing to go to Lisbon in place of Gordon Brown, who announced a government boycott should the Zimbabwean leader carry out his promise to show up.

A war of words between Britain and Zimbabwe threatens to overshadow the first meeting between the 53 African nations and 27 EU countries since 2000. The Portuguese hosts are concerned that it will divert attention and energy from a full agenda of issues such as trade, aid, governance and climate change, as well as deep problems in other African nations such as Sudan and Somalia.

Lady Amos, who was Britain’s first black Cabinet minister and also served as Africa Minister at the Foreign Office from 2001-3, will not just sit in the summit meetings “like a spare part”, British diplomats said yesterday.

Along with several other EU leaders, including the Dutch Prime Minister, Jan Peter Balkenende, she is expected to speak out about the humanitarian crisis caused by President Mugabe’s mismanagement of the economy. Mr Brown recently nominated Lady Amos, 53, for the post of EU envoy to the African Union but she was rejected by Brussels.

Mr Mugabe said on Friday: “Zimbabwe is an African country. We are totally independent from Britain. Let Britain there listen to this simple lesson that Zimbabwe is no longer a British colony. Britain has no right to discuss Zimbabwe almost every week in their stupid parliament.”

- President Mwanawasa of Zambia urged Mr Brown yesterday to continue speaking out against Zimbabwe but said he was disappointed by his boycott of the summit.

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