Gordon Brown has said that he understands the grief of Jacqui Janes, the mother of a dead soldier who confronted him over the lack of equipment for troops serving on the frontline.
Published: 10:47AM GMT 10 Nov 2009
Mrs Janes, the mother of Jamie Janes, a soldier killed in Afghanistan, made the points to the Prime Minister in a 13 minute telephone call.
Speaking in public for the first time about the controversy, Mr Brown said at a press conference: "I understand very well the sadness that she feels, and the way that she has expressed her grief is something that I can also clearly understand.
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"I wanted to say during that conversation with her, but thought I could not really do so because I do not know her, that when there is a personal loss as deep and immediate as she has experienced it takes time to recover.
"That loss can never be replaced, you have got to take every day at a time... Over time, comfort comes from understanding that your son has played an important role in the security of our country and died in such a courageous and brave way that nobody will ever forget it."
Mr Brown had contacted Mrs Janes to apologise about a letter of condolence which contained a series of errors.
Mrs Janes had accused Mr Brown of being ''disrespectful'' because the letter began ''Dear Mrs James'' and appeared to contain other spelling mistakes and a visible correction to her son Jamie's name.
Mrs Janes said during the call she had challenged Mr Brown over equipment for troops.
During the conversation, which she recorded, Mrs Janes said: "Mr Brown, listen to me.
"I know every injury my child sustained that day. I know that my son could have survived but my son bled to death.
"How would you like it if one of your children, God forbid, went to a war doing something that he thought, where he was helping protect his Queen and country and because of lack, lack of helicopters, lack of equipment, your child bled to death and then you had the coroner have to tell you his every injury?"
(Coroner:A public officer whose primary function is to investigate by inquest any death thought to be of other than natural causes.)
Mr Brown replied: I do understand but I think you have got to also understand that I feel very strongly about this as, as you do."
At one point in the conversation, Mrs Janes said: "I can not believe I have been brought down to the level of having an argument with the Prime Minister of my own country."
Mr Brown denied spelling Mrs Janes' son's name wrong in the letter, and blamed his poor handwriting rather than his spelling.
Mr Brown said today: "I apologised to Jacqui Janes yesterday for any mistakes that had been made.
"I also said to anybody whom I have written to, if my writing is difficult to read, I apologise for that."
He insisted the mission in Afghanistan remained crucial, and there was a "plan to move things forward".
Mrs Janes told The Sun: ''
I was speaking for every serving soldier who is not allowed to speak and every mum, dad, child, brother and sister of every soldier.
''I felt Jamie gave me the strength somehow and I know he would have been so proud.''
Mrs Janes recorded the conversation with the Prime Minister and The Sun published a full transcript of the conversation.
Mr Brown was criticised for failing to bow his head as he took part in commemorations for the UK's war dead in London at the weekend.
Jamie Janes joined the Grenadier Guards shortly after his 16th birthday and was on his second tour of Afghanistan when he was killed by a Taliban bomb on October 5.
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