Brown: 'I feel for a mother's grief'
Updated on 10 November 2009
The mother of Guardsman Jamie Janes accepts an apology from Gordon Brown for any mistakes in the letter of condolence he wrote after her son's death in Afghanistan.
She said he looked humbled, he looked sincere. Mr Brown said he understood the pain she was going through and that he had been doing his best to comfort the bereaved.
Earlier the Sun newspaper released a recording of a private telephone conversation between Mrs Janes and Mr Brown on Sunday night.
Downing Street did not wish the prime minister's comments to be broadcast, so the extracts in this report are only those of Mrs Janes.
In the call Jacqui Janes told the prime minister that she felt her son had died of his wounds because of a lack of helicopter support. The transcript of the call, recorded on Sunday night, was published in the Sun newspaper.
Yesterday Jacqui Janes said that Gordon Brown had been "disrespectful" towards her son after misspelling his name in a hand-written letter of condolence.
"The letter was scrawled so quickly I could hardly even read it and some of the words were half-finished. It's just disrespectful," she said.
Speaking at a press conference in Downing Street today Gordon Brown apologised again for any mistakes made in the letter and said he understood "a mother's grief".
"I understand the pain she is going through. It is a terrible personal sadness and raises questions in her mind about what could have been done," he said.
"I wanted to say in that conversation with her, but thought I couldn't really do so because I do not know her, that when there is a personal loss as deep and as immediate as she has experienced it takes time to recover.
"That loss can never be replaced - you have 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 dies in such a courageous and brave way that nobody will ever forget him."
Public reaction
They have gathered to remember the fallen, but what do the crowds in Wootton Bassett think of the row over the condolence letter sent by Gordon Brown to the mother of one soldier who lost his life? Jane Dodge has been to find out.
Steve Blundell from the Royal British Legion riders' branch said: "quite frankly, if I was writing a hand-written letter, I'd probably make spelling mistakes too. It's nice that he sends the letter.
"If Mrs Janes is upset about the spelling of it, that's her thing. I think she's more upset about the death of her son and she has to vent that somewhere, and if it is at Mr Brown, so be it."
Andy Sleep told Channel 4 News: "It's probably his way of expressing his sincere gratitude and sincere apologies to, not just her, but to all the families. But I think that as a representation from the government's side that we should at least have some sort of show from the government here in Wootton Bassett."
Janes "was not provoked"
Channel 4 News political editor Gary Gibbon said that sources at the Sun newspaper had assured him that no journalist was "babysitting" Jacqui Janes at the time she received the phone call from Gordon Brown.
"According to sources…it was a friend or lodger who, once she had put the phone onto hands free, decided to put their phone, which had a recording device on it, next to the phone within hearing distance. That was how the call was transcribed.
"So not, the Sun would claim as I understand it, some sort of stitch-up or trap that was set for the prime minister.
"I must say that there are sources next to the prime minister who seem pretty disbelieving at that. They are calling the behaviour of the Sun disgraceful; they are saying the paper has overstepped the mark.
"They are slightly reassured by some of the postings and emails that are going in both to Downing Street and the Sun's own website suggesting that, to an extent, people are supporting the prime minister in this and are sympathetic to some of the things that he has been saying.
"I should also add that…there is a feeling, as I understand it, in the Ministry of Defence that helicopters were sent within the normal expected range of time [to help Guardsman Janes] but his injuries were so catastrophic that his survival was never going to be very likely."
