PM apologises over soldier letter.
Gordon Brown has telephoned a bereaved mother to apologise after apparently misspelling the name of her dead soldier son in a letter of sympathy.
Guardsman Jamie Janes, 20, from Brighton, East Sussex, was killed in an explosion in Afghanistan in October.
The Sun newspaper said his mother Jacqui had called the prime minister's letter a "hastily scrawled insult".
But Mr Brown's spokesman said he was "very sorry for the way that Mrs Janes feels about the letter".
He added the prime minister was "deeply mortified to think he may have offended the family".
Guardsman Janes, of 1st Battalion The Grenadier Guards, was killed in an explosion while on foot patrol in Helmand province.
'Half-finished'
According to the Sun, his mother Jacqui was angry when she received the prime minister's letter of condolence in which he appeared to misspell Guardsman Janes's name as "James".
The paper has reproduced the handwritten letter.
The prime minister has previously admitted problems with his eyesight after a childhood rugby injury.
His spokesman described Mr Brown's handwriting as "somewhat unique".
But Mrs Janes told the Sun that the letter had been "scrawled so quickly I could hardly even read it" and that "some of the words were half-finished".The reason he personally writes to every family is to acknowledge the debt of gratitude owed by the country to those who have died to protect the people of Britain - Downing Street Statement
She described it as "disrespectful" and an "insult" to her son.
In a statement, Downing Street said the prime minister took a great deal of time writing to bereaved relatives.
It added: "The reason he personally writes to every family is to acknowledge the debt of gratitude owed by the country to those who have died to protect the people of Britain."
Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband told the BBC: "I think anyone who sees Mrs Janes's upset will very much regret what she is feeling.
"And I'm sure the prime minister will feel that he intended to offer her some little comfort at the most difficult time for her.
"I'm sure he will be very upset himself at the upset she's feeling."
It is official policy for the prime minister to write to the families of all service personnel killed in action while on operational duties.
According to Ministry of Defence guidelines published on the Parliament website, the letter is drafted by military officials and should ideally be sent within two working days of the death being announced.
The defence secretary writes to the families of members of the armed forces who die in service although not on operations.
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