PM appears before liaison committee

Gordon Brown will today be called to account on a range of domestic and international issues when he faces the 30 chairmen of the Commons committees.

The prime minister will answer questions from the Commons liaison committee on Thursday for the second of his biannual appearances.

He will have no foresight of the questions, but the chairmen will touch on a limited number of themes on matters of public policy.

Brown will be asked to explain what the government is doing to manage the economic slowdown and protect Britain from the effects of the credit crunch.

He will also be quizzed on international affairs, likely to focus on Afghanistan and Zimbabwe.

Other questions will relate to global economic issues, including the supply and price of oil, food and energy, and the government's plans for constitutional renewal.