Brown to cut deal with Zimbabwe over 2012 Olympics
Gordon Brown is a strong opponent of Robert Mugabe's regime
The Government is said to have proposed the secret deal to avoid an African boycott of the 2012 Games. But the Tories said no team from the southern African state should be let in while Robert Mugabe is president.
On Thursday sources close to the Prime Minister said scrapping the cricket tour would allow Britain to 'stand up and be counted' by refusing to tolerate Mugabe's murderous regime.
But yesterday, sources said the Government would let a team from the country enter the Olympics if Mr Mugabe axed the cricket tour.
Tory foreign affairs spokesman David Lidington said: "This is a classic case of Gordon Brown spinning different stories to different people.
"One day he tries to sound tough, the next day we find he is planning a secret deal."
Mr Lidington described Mugabe's corruption and "wilful mismanagement" as "sickening", ading: "The Government has allowed his regime to carry on unchallenged for too long."
Ministers fear that if the cricket tour is called off, Mugabe may pull his teams out of future English sporting events, such as next year's World Twenty20 cricket championship and the Olympics. Scroll down for more
Ministers feel that if the cricket tour is called off, Mugabe may pull his teams out of future English sporting events
That would raise the prospect of a boycott by a range of African nations, such as South Africa.
Officials believe the inclusion of a Zimbabwean team at the Olympics would be less embarrassing as it would be only one out of more than 150.
A Government source said: 'Negotiations have been going on for some months.
"The Government is giving the cricket authorities very close support. There's no way Mugabe is going to be allowed to let his team play here.
"The major problem is ensuring that does not give him any justification to accuse the old colonial power of slighting Zimbabwe which results in the whole of Africa boycotting 2012."
