Brown will ban Zimbabwe tour

Prime Minister Gordon Brown will ban Zimbabwe's cricket team from touring England next year.

In an historic change of policy, a government insider said: "Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe needs to be given clear signals from all quarters that his regime is unacceptable. We have to stand up and be counted."

Zimbabwe were due to play two Tests and three one-day internationals next summer.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (EWCB) would have to pay an estimated £225,000 compensation for cancelling the one-day fixtures under International Cricket Council (ICC) rules.

But because Zimbabwe is no longer officially classified as a Test-playing nation, there would be no penalty for scrapping the five-day international fixtures.

It is understood that talks between the ICC, the EWCB and the Zimbabwean authorities have already taken place, with a view to cancelling the tour.

Mr Brown's spokesman said today: "I think that it's very early to be making these sorts of decisions.

"We obviously will need to discuss this with the EWCB closer to the time. A decision will have to be made about this at some point but we are not at that point at the moment."

The EWCB is avoiding fuelling speculation about the tour, while the negotiations continue.

Mr Brown refused to attend an EU-Africa summit last month, because Mr Mugabe was present, and has consistently taken a higher-profile stance on denouncing the Mugabe regime than his predecessor Tony Blair.

In 2004 England pressed ahead with a chaotic and controversial tour of Zimbabwe after Mr Blair said he was opposed to it, but was powerless to stop it.