GORDON BROWN’S speech to the US Congress in which he suggested banning tax havens was just part of the continuing rhetoric from politicians on the issue, according to a Guernsey finance expert.

Graham Parrott (pictured), a partner at Ernst and Young, said he did not think the Prime Minister knew exactly what he was talking about when he claimed the world’s savings would be safer if offshore tax havens were outlawed.

‘To some extent I think he got carried away,’ he said.

‘My only worry is that he really seemed to enjoy it. When you listened to him talking to Congress it was almost like he was playing to a response. They got up and applauded and he loved it.’

But Mr Parrott was still confident that, in the cold light of day, Guernsey would be separated from the ‘secretive’ offshore jurisdictions targeted by Mr Brown and US President Barack Obama.

‘When it comes to the G20 summit we will be distinguished from other places that are not so transparent and cooperative and where tax evasion is still not a crime,’ he said.

‘Despite Mr Brown’s comments I think it will be very difficult to be so literal and it should not happen anyway because we are addressing the issues that they are worried about.’