PM scuppers Brown IMF hopes

Gordon Brown's hopes of becoming the next head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) took a hit this morning from David Cameron.

Mr Cameron, the Labour prime minister's successor, said Mr Brown was not the right man for the top job at the IMF and hinted Britain would block any move to appoint him.

Mr Cameron said the former prime minister's role in increasing Britain's deficit meant he "might not be the most appropriate person" to run the IMF.

Mr Brown last week gave a speech admitting he had made a mistake in the regulation of banks through the Financial Services Authority - which looked at individual institutions but lacked the scope to tackle their more complex relationships.

The speech was widely seen as an attempt to strengthen his credentials for the IMF post, set to become available as current president Dominique Strauss Kahn steps down to run for the presidency in France.