GORDON BROWN suffered an embarrassing blow to his standing last night after he was booed at an awards ceremony for Britain’s music industry.

Whistles, shouts and boos from some members of the audience greeted the Chancellor as he appeared on the stage at the Alexandra Palace, in London.

Mr Brown appeared as a surprise guest to present an award to Sir George Martin, the Beatles’ producer known as the “fifth Beatle”, and induct him into the UK Music Hall of Fame.

The Chancellor had to make several attempts to speak over the hecklers before finally gaining the attention of the audience.

Pete Paphides, The Times chief rock critic, said that the jeering came from the back of the auditorium and involved about 40 to 50 members of the audience.

“The noise was general jeering and went on for some time,” he said. “Gordon Brown had to repeat himself several times before he could make himself heard.

“You got the impression that the protest had been organised in some way, although it was hard to make out exactly what was being shouted.”

But one protestor was heard to shout ‘We want Tony’, cleary suggesting that George Martin was being short-changed in receiving his award from Mr Brown.

The negative reaction was a setback for Mr Brown, who has previously enjoyed praise from rock stars such as Bono and Bob Geldof for his initiatives on debt relief and fighting poverty in developing countries.

It was also an uncomfortable reminder of how far Labour’s fortunes have changed since it took office in 1997, when Tony Blair famously threw parties at No 10 for pop stars such as Oasis and invited Alan McGee, founder of Creation Records, to sit on the Government’s creative industries task force.

Last night’s ceremony attracted some of the biggest names in pop, including Prince and Beyonce, and there were performances by James Brown, Bon Jovi and Joss Stone.

The Chancellor has struggled to convince people that he is in touch with the contemporary music scene as part of a drive to broaden his image as a Prime Minister in waiting.

In May, he attracted reactions varying from scepticism to derision when he appeared to suggest that he prepares for another day at the Treasury by listening to bands such as the Arctic Monkeys.

“The Arctic Monkeys really wake you up in the morning,” he told the magazine New Woman, in comments he later protested were misunderstood.

In the same interview, Mr Brown said that he had tracks by Coldplay, U2, James Blunt and the Arctic Monkeys on his iPod, in addition to music by Beethoven and Bach.

The Chancellor remains favourite to replace Tony Blair, who has pledged to quit by next summer, despite having been damaged by his failure in September to distance himself from a plot by supporters to force Mr Blair from office.

Recent opinion polls have also suggested that Labour risks losing support among women, in particular, if Mr Brown took over as party leader and went head-to-head with David Cameron.

Mr Brown told the audience he had spoken earlier in the day to Sir Paul McCartney as he paid tribute to the Beatles’ producer. “I spoke to Sir Paul McCartney this afternoon and Paul McCartney said, ‘George Martin is the great creative genius of our time’.

“Self-made, self-taught, he worked his way up, he is a great national icon. He is a great national institution,” the Chancellor said. “He is the greatest music producer of our time.”

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