Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown has told how he believes in the freedom of the press and the importance of the media in scrutinising the Government.

He was speaking at the Journalists’ Charity’s Annual Lunch at The Savoy in London, where around 100 journalists and supporters gathered to celebrate the work of the past year.

The MP spoke of his short time as a journalist himself, working for Scottish Television in the early 1980s, and recounted the culture shock when he first encountered the national press.

He also poked fun at some of the errors made by the press, including one national newspaper which captioned a photo of a 16-year-old Gordon with the words ‘aged 56′.

He addressed guests with a speech which was said to be off the record under ‘Chatham House Rules’ – but did allow his comments on the importance of press freedom to be reported.

He said: “I do believe the freedom of the press is important to defend British liberties, even in the face of terrorism we can be a beacon in the contribution that a free press makes.

He said the Government needed scrutiny “however hard it might be for the politicians of the day”.