Mr Brown wants a British Bill of Rights and Responsibilities

The US claims credit for "promoting" liberty around the world but it was actually the UK that pioneered it, said the prime minister.

He was explaining to the Commons liaison committee why he thought the UK needs a written statement of values.

Values such as liberty, civic duty and social responsibility were "uniquely" British, added Mr Brown.

In its Governance of Britain green paper published in July, the government called for a national debate on Britain's values, paving the way for a possible Bill of Rights and Responsibilities.

The document talked about British values of fairness, liberty, pluralism, democracy, fair play and civic duty.

It is the distinctive relationship between liberty, civic duty and the idea of fairness that in my view characterise what it is for people to think of themselves as British Gordon Brown, prime minister

But Labour MP Tony Wright, chairman of the public administration committee, asked Mr Brown what was distinctive about these values, which he said were common in most Western societies.

Mr Brown said he believed there was something "uniquely British about the relationship between liberty, civic duty and social responsibility and fairness".

'Leave me alone'

He told the Commons liaison committee: "I think Britain was the pioneer of liberty for the modern world.

"I think in later years America took it upon itself to claim that it was the leading country in promoting liberty. I think Britain.

"But our view of liberty is different from the American view of liberty.

"Our view of liberty is not the 'leave me alone' liberty that we characterise with some of the American constitution.

"Our view of liberty is liberty in the context of social responsibility."

National pride

Mr Brown said the sense of "civic duty" that emerged in the 19th Century was "something that also Britain can claim some credit for pioneering".

"It is the distinctive relationship between liberty, civic duty and the idea of fairness that in my view characterise what it is for people to think of themselves as British," added Mr Brown.

He also insisted nothing was "off-limits" when it came to the debate on constitutional reform, including the electoral system.

He said there would be report published shortly on the electoral system, but he ruled out fixed-term Parliaments.

He also ruled out independent Parliaments for Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England, saying the "bonds" between the countries were more important than ever and opinion polls showed two-thirds of people "wanted to be part of the United Kingdom".

Mr Brown has made promoting "Britishness" a key theme of his premiership - but has also said he wants to foster a US-style sense of national pride.