Not even the torrential rain that deluged Andrews Air Force Base as the prime minister was whisked by helicopter to Camp David could mask his palpable delight in the trip.

After two decades of visiting the US three or more times a year, for holidays and work, Gordon Brown has finally made it to the president's Maryland retreat. The trip holds some echoes of Tony Blair's initial Camp David encounter with Mr Bush, when the president infamously revealed that they both used the same brand of toothpaste. As Mr Blair used to do in the early days of his premiership - before a decade in power soured relations with the media - Mr Brown wandered to the back of the plane for a relaxed, shirt-sleeves-and-no-notebooks chat with the travelling press pack.