The Bush administration is becoming increasingly worried over British plans for an early withdrawal from Iraq, according to the Guardian.

The paper quotes Washington sources as saying that the White House wants the 5,000 remaining UK troops to stay for as long as the US does.

America is expected to signal its intentions after a report from General David Petraeus next month, paving the way for Gordon Brown to do the same.

But while the Pentagon is looking at a modest draw down over time, the US fears the prime minister may want to move much faster.

"If the difference is between the British leaving at the end of the year or staying through to next year, or the year after, it is a safe assumption that President Bush would prefer them to stay as long as the Americans are there," one source said.

Meanwhile, the Telegraph cites a Washington Post report that the US believes Britain has "been defeated" in Basra, in the south of the country.