Smash hit

“We thought it was right to bring international pressure to bear. We don’t apologise for that at all."

“Mugabe is more isolated within his own country than ever before,” he said. “We have got to make sure though that the final hold that he has on power, which is at a barrel of a gun, is as short as possible because the misery for those people is absolutely overwhelming.”

Britain’s ambassador to the UN, Sir John Sawers, joined in the condemnation of the veto which he said had denied Zimbabweans hope for the future.

“We view their decisions as deeply damaging to the long-term interests of Zimbabwe’s people. It has, in our view, harmed the prospects for bringing to an early end the violence and the oppression in Zimbabwe,” he said.

A Downing Street spokesman said Russia and China must now take responsibility for their decision, but said Britain would try and use other avenues to put pressure on Mugabe if a security council resolution could not be agreed.

“It is disappointing that the security council failed to stand up for the democratic rights of Zimbabweans. But it was right to push for a tough security council resolution, and those who stood in its way must now take responsibility for the failure of the security council to act,” a No 10 spokesman said.

“We will continue to stand firmly for human rights and democracy, and will return to the security council in the absence of early progress on mediation, humanitarian access and an end to violence. This is not the outcome we sought, but we have other options.”

The Government may now consider pressing for more stringent EU measures on Zimbabwe and will aim to convince UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to spend a special envoy to the country.

But Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague said Gordon Brown had been overconfident in declaring he had support for sanctions following the G8 summit in Japan.

Russian president Dmitry Medvedev had signed up to a G8 statement in calling for financial and other measures against regime figures responsible for the violence and Mr Brown later said he had made a 'major breakthrough' .

Despite Mr Miliband's firm stance on possible further action, Foreign Office Minister Lord Malloch-Brown admitted taking a vote on the resolution was “high-stakes gamble”.

Mr Hague, said: “Gordon Brown told the Commons on Thursday that there had been a ’major breakthrough’ at the G8 and that Russia would support action by the UN. This statement was clearly over-confident.

But in Zimbabwe, Russia and China's veto, along with that of South Africa, Libya and Vietnam, was greeted with delight amid claims the sanctions were "international racism".

Mugabe's Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu said: “We are very happy with the turn of events and would like to thank those who helped defeat international racism disguised as multilateral action at the UN.

“The principles of non-interference into the sovereign affairs of a UN member state have been upheld. What has the UN got to do with member states’ elections?”

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