Gordon Brown is set to press ahead with tougher sanctions against Zimbabwe despite the embarrassing veto of his plan for a United Nations arms embargo and travel ban.

Officials were last night drawing up a “plan B” after Russia and China ambushed Britain at the UN security council in New York. Number 10 hopes the European Union and the United States can draw up a joint agreement that would include a ban on trips abroad for any Zimbabwean linked to Robert Mugabe’s regime and new efforts to freeze the assets of the Zanu-PF leadership.

Yesterday David Miliband, the foreign secretary, could not hide his disappointment at the collapse of the government’s Zimbabwe policy. He insisted that Britain had been right to push the issue to a vote despite the threat of a Russian and Chinese veto. “The UN has been saying for a long time this is a real problem,” said Miliband.

“So we said, ‘Let’s have real action.’ It is right that in the end people show their cards. You have to get people to front up. There was hiding going on.”

Officials admitted there was initial shock at the outcome but believe that a powerful package of measures can still be agreed.

“If the US and EU work together, a lot can still be done,” said one source. “We will start with expanding the travel ban to include all those people who have been involved in the latest violence and people working for companies supporting the regime, but we are ready to go further if need be.”

Denis MacShane, the former Foreign Office minister, echoed the private frustrations of diplomats by calling for Russia to be expelled from the G8.

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