Has Brown become a Beckham fan too?

Has Brown become a Beckham fan too? Football star has secret Downing Street meeting with PM

He says that he disapproves of Britain's celebrity culture and won't have anything to do with it - unlike his predecessor.


So maybe Gordon Brown thinks that David Beckham doesn't qualify as famous.

For he spent quite a bit of time in the company of the former England captain last night.

Beckham was spotted arriving at Number Ten in his shiny black Bentley and then slipping out an hour later.

It also emerged that Mr Brown is planning to visit the David Beckham Academy - a football school in Greenwich, South London.

Their private chat came on the day the Prime Minister said he had "no specific plans" to talk to the star.

Rumours of a meeting and the possibility of Beckham being offered some sort of advisory role, had been flying.


But when asked about it at his lunchtime press conference, Mr Brown said: "David Beckham did a brilliant job helping us win the Olympics.

"I think the whole country was grateful for the work he and others did to make that possible.

"If he can help us in future in some of the other big projects, that would be to the benefit of the country as well.

"But I have got no specific plans to talk to him about that."

A Downing Street spokesman said yesterday that the meeting was a "genuinely private matter" and that Beckham had been invited at the behest of Mr Brown

The spokesman confirmed that the Prime Minister would visit the soccer academy later this week.

Caught by cameras after the meeting, dressed in a shiny grey suit, Beckham said: "He's (Mr Brown) interested in sports and his football, you know he is very interested in doing a lot for my academy and also getting involved in schools around the country as well.

"He's a very good man, you know he's a man that's looking after our country and he is doing a very good job. I'm very proud to be here tonight."