The chancellor will make his first major speech on the environment after eight years in office today.

Gordon Brown is set to say that sustainable development and economic growth can go hand in hand.

Britain is hosting a major meeting of ministers from 20 countries, discussing climate change.

Meanwhile, Brown used an interview with Newsnight last night to challenge Tony Blair's vision of Britain acting as a bridge between Europe and America.

"We're more than a bridge between Europe and the United States," he said.

"It's not enough if I were to say that all we were were some mechanical device bringing Europe and America together.

"The definition of a bridge is it links two different points and if all you do is link them together then you're certainly performing a good diplomatic role. But we stand for more than simply bringing people together. We have values of our own."