London  - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Wednesday he was against "immediate action" to strip Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe of an honorary knighthood awarded in the early 1990s.

He was "less interested in the symbols than the substance," Brown said in parliament, in response to a call by Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg to rescind the title.

"What message does it send that a man who brought ruin and starvation to his country continues to be honoured by a knighthood from ours?" asked Clegg.

Earlier this week, the British Foreign Office said it was "reviewing" the situation regarding the honour, conferred on Mugabe by former Conservative Prime Minister John Major in 1994.

"We understand the calls from those who wish to see the knighthood removed and we are currently reviewing it. We don't rule out taking further action in the future," said a Foreign Office spokesman.

However, the current emphasis was on providing support for the people of Zimbabwe, and pushing for reforms, said the Foreign Office.

Brown also stressed Wednesday that he believed it was more urgent to help guarantee "free and fair" elections in Zimbabwe's run-off poll at the end of June.

He again called for international monitors to be admitted to the country.

"We will of course look at every action we can take but the first thing to do is to make sure these elections are free and fair. That is the first priority," Brown said. (dpa)