"There is no dispute about our common allegiance to the law of the land" Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams told the General Synod of the Church of England - and a watching world on TV and the internet - this afternoon.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has privately asked Archbishop Rowan Williams to clarify the precise import of his remarks about the social and legal codes of Sharia and the English civil law system, those close to 10 Downing Street say.

A priminent Labour MP, speaking on behalf of the Christian Socialist Movement, has condemned the "hysterical and largely uninformed media response" to Archbishop Rowan Williams' lecture on civil and religious law in Britain.

Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams is panicking over the demise of organised Christianity’s power and influence in society and seeking a multi-faith settlement to address these concerns, a TV discussion programme heard today.

As Dr Rowan Williams faced calls for his resignation last night over the row about his Sharia speech, Lambeth Palace issued a statement suggesting that recognition for Christianity in a secular state requires a multi-faith settlement.