Another U Turn as Government takes Lib Dem advice on Mugabe

6.01.49pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 3rd Jul 2008

On Monday July 7 Foreign Secretary David Miliband will visit South Africa to discuss Zimbabwe but Liberal Democrats say so far our Government's response has been all talk and no action apart from belatedly stripping Robert Mugabe of his knighthood after yet another U turn by the Prime Minister.

Two weeks ago at Prime Minister's Question Time Gordon Brown flatly dismissed Lib Dem calls for Robert Mugabe to be stripped of the knighthood given to him by the Conservatives, but days later Foreign Secretary David Miliband recommended to the Queen that he be stripped of the honour.

Jonathan Chatfield the Lib Dem Parliamentary spokesperson for South East Cambridgeshire commented:

"Stripping Mugabe of his knighthood has been long over due and the fact that he received it in the first place from the last Conservative government has been an embarrassment for our country.

"As with Northern Rock and now Mugabe precious time has been wasted as the "clunking fist" Prime Minister has steadfastly refused to change course only to capsize as he performs yet another u turn.

"Did he know what his Foreign Secretary intended to do when he refused Nick Clegg's call to strip the knighthood from Mugabe?

"Nick also called for a temporary halt of foreign currency remittances for Mugabe and his elite. Again this has been flatly refused by the PM. Is there yet another U turn about to happen? We hope so for the people of Zimbabwe."