Diversity star smashes head performing on Downing Street stage

Diversity dancer Perri Luc Kiely was left in tears when he took a tumble as the Britain's Got Talent winners performed for Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

The 11-strong troupe from Essex and east London are believed to be the first group to dance in front of the famous 10 Downing Street door, after they put on a show which spoofed scenes from Parliament.

But frizzy-haired Perri, 13, limped tearfully off after falling during their high-energy routine.

Sarah Brown came to the young star's rescue following the performance and took him into No 10 to tend to him.

A spokesman for the group later said he was "absolutely fine, just a bit shocked" and Mr Brown hailed him as "a wonderful guy".

Perri kicked off the display with the Speaker's cry of "Order! Order!", before fellow dancer Mitchell Craske, also 13, emerged carrying a Budget-style Red Box bearing the group's DV logo, placed it on the floor and proceeded to spin on it on his head.

Also attending yesterday's Number 10 reception to mark the second anniversary of the Prime Minister's Talent and Enterprise Taskforce was rapper Speech Debelle, who this month scooped the Mercury Prize for album of the year.

Mr Brown said their achievements were "a small snapshot of how much skill, talent and potential young people have to offer our country".

He said the Government was determined not to allow today's youngsters to become a "lost generation" as happened in previous downturns in the 1980s and 1990s.

Britain will compete with emerging economic giants like China and India not on low pay, but on high levels of talent, skill and innovation, said the PM.

"It is not just a moral necessity that everybody has a chance to realise their talent, it is our economic future," said Mr Brown.

"The whole destiny of our country depends on creative people, talented people, people with potential getting the chance to develop."

He added: "We are trying to make sure that there is no talent in this country that is not given a chance to develop itself and to help people fulfil their potential to the best of their ability.

"Past generations only developed some of the potential of some of the people. You know that from the waste of talent of centuries of our history. This century has got to be the first to develop all the potential of all of our people."

The Talent and Enterprise Taskforce works with organisations in fields ranging from the arts and sport to business and education to promote the talent of young people.

Diversity's choreographer Ashley Banjo said: "Our lives completely changed because people backed us and believed in us.

"There is so much talent in young people out there, waiting to be discovered and developed so they too can achieve their dreams."

Children's Secretary Ed Balls said: "For every celebrity success story, there are thousands of undiscovered talents waiting for someone to give them a chance, and where talent exists it is essential that there is someone to back that talent to allow it to flourish.

"This is exactly why we are creating more opportunities - like the National Year of Music - for young people to get involved and show what they can do. Because nurturing talent is imperative, not only to individual life chances, but to the country's economic prosperity as a whole."