Miliband hails courage of Aung San Suu Kyi

On the latest leg of her lengthy tour of the UK, she unveiled a plaque at the office building before joining the Shadow Cabinet for its weekly meeting.

“In the end it is people who are most important, not buildings,” she told the assembled staff.

“Although this is a beautiful building and I would not mind taking it back to Burma with me.”

Mr Miliband told her: “As the main party of opposition in Britain, hoping to be the government, I can think of no better person than the most famous leader of the opposition in the world, if I may say so – and the most distinguished, and the most courageous and the most brave – to open our offices.

“We have seen the courage you have shown, we have seen the fortitude that you have displayed and we are absolutely with you in the fight for... the transition to a full democracy.

“We are with you every step of the way. You will be our leader in this struggle.”

Ms Suu Kyi said it was particularly poignant for her to meet the party as it was a Labour Prime Minister – Clement Attlee – whom her father met in London in 1947 to seal an agreement for Burmese independence.

In a light-hearted moment, she said: “Although we are the biggest opposition party in the Burmese national assembly, there are only 44 of us out of over 600. So Labour need not despair.”