Brown denies shift away from U.S.

By Sophie Walker

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Gordon Brown denied on Friday a shift in foreign policy away from the United States after one of his ministers told an audience there that a country's strength depended on alliances not military might.

International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander, in a speech in Washington on Thursday, said while Britain stood beside the United States in fighting terrorism, isolationism did not work in an interdependent world.

"In the 20th century a country's might was too often measured in what they could destroy. In the 21st, strength should be measured by what we can build together," Alexander said, in comments interpreted by media as signalling a change in the government's relationship with Washington.

A spokesman for Brown denied the speech marked any turnaround in policy and said the interpretation put on Alexander's words by the media was "quite extraordinary".

Brown told BBC radio he would continue to work closely with the U.S. administration.

"We'll not allow people to separate us from the United States of America in dealing with the common challenges we face around the world," he said, when asked about Alexander's words.

Washington has been watching Brown's new government for signs of any policy change after years of close ties under his predecessor Tony Blair.

Brown took over last month with promises of change to woo back voters after 10 years of Labour Party rule and in particular to draw a line under the unpopular Iraq war. Blair's closeness to Washington was unpopular with many.