Bush preparing for British U-turn on Iraq

By Tim Shipman in Washington, Philip Sherwell and Patrick Hennessy, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 9:37am BST 20/05/2007

US President George W. Bush has been told to prepare for a British U-turn on Iraq once Gordon Brown becomes prime minister, The Sunday Telegraph newspaper said.

Bush has been briefed by White House officials to expect an announcement on British troop withdrawals during Brown's first 100 days in office, the weekly said.

The president was advised on how to handle the aftermath of a British pullout and the end of steadfast support from London, said the broadsheet, citing senior officials.

Outgoing Prime Minister Tony Blair is due to step down on June 27 after a decade in power, with finance minister Brown set to take over.

Under Blair, Britain has been the United States' staunchest ally in the war in Iraq and its key partner in the decision to invade the country in March 2003.

Senior officials in the US National Security Council, the Pentagon and the State Department have expressed their fears about Brown, The Sunday Telegraph said.

"There is a sense of foreboding," an unnamed senior official was quoted as saying.