"It is firmly in the British national interest that we have a strong relationship with the US, our single most important bilateral relationship", he said on Sunday (29 July) adding he wanted to "do more to strengthen even further" the two countries' links.

But despite these comments, analysts doubt Mr Brown will find a soulmate in president Bush and is expected rather to struggle for a balance between maintaining close UK-US ties, but not as close as his predecessor Tony Blair.

Speculation that there would be a new phase in London and Washington's relations was triggered earlier this month when some of Mr Brown's new ministers made remarks seen as coded criticism of the Bush administration.

Foreign office minister Lord Malloch Brown – former deputy secretary general at the UN and known critic of the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 – suggested the two countries would no longer be "joined at the hip" on foreign policy.

Lord Malloch Brown said it was time to take a more "impartial" approach in the UK's foreign policy and to build relationships with European leaders.

In similarly coded language, international development secretary Douglas Alexander spoke against unilateralism and in favour of an internationalist approach to global problems.

Under the leadership of Tony Blair, London and Washington enjoyed exceptionally warm ties.

Mr Blair was even mocked as Bush's "poodle" as he remained a loyal ally of Mr Bush in his war against terror and the US-led invasion of Iraq – a stance that caused some deep resentment in parts of the EU at the time.

For his part, Mr Brown did not mention Iraq during his statement en route to the US, but he did praise the Bush administration on its approach to terrorism.

"We should acknowledge the debt the world owes to the United States for its leadership in this fight against international terrorism", he said.

Currently, EU-US ties have been gaining new momentum since German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Nicolas Sarkozy entered the international arena.

Both politicians are seen as advocates of strong transatlantic cooperation - in contrast to their predecessors Gerhard Schroeder and Jacques Chirac.