Spokesman Michael Ellam gave no details of what was discussed during the meeting over breakfast at Mr Brown's Downing Street office, saying only that Brown regarded Mr Gorbachev as 'a figure of huge experience.'

'It was a private meeting. It was mainly a courtesy meeting as Mr Gorbachev was in London,' Mr Ellam said. 'He was a great figure of the late 20th Century, and the prime minister was pleased to spend some time with him.'

The meeting was held amid heightened tensions between Moscow and London over a range of diplomatic issues.

The British Council, a government-backed cultural organization, has suspended operations in the cities of St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg, after it was ordered to close offices by Russian officials.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband accused the Kremlin of a return to Cold War tactics after complaints that Russian officials had intimidated council staff.

Russia accuses the British Council of operating illegally and harbouring spies, claims Britain denies.

The feud has chilled bilateral relations, which were already strained over the 2006 killing in London of former Russian security agent Alexander Litvinenko.

Moscow has refused Britain's request to extradite Andrei Lugovoi, the main suspect in Litvinenko's poisoning, and last year Britain expelled four Russian diplomats in protest. Russia responded by expelling four Britons.

Mr Ellam declined to say whether Mr Brown and Mr Gorbachev had discussed current relations. -- AP