The PM Gordon Brown has apologised to the mother of a soldier killed in Afghanistan who accused him of being disrespectful.

He spelt Jacqui Janes' surname incorrectly in a hand-written note sent following the death of her Grenadier Guardsman son Jamie, 20, in an explosion on October 5.

"He couldn't even be bothered to get our family name right. That made me so angry," Mrs Janes, 47, told the Sun newspaper.

"Then I saw he had scribbled out a mistake in Jamie's name.

"The very least I would expect from Gordon Brown is to get his name right.

"The letter was scrawled so quickly I could hardly even read it and some of the words were half-finished. It's just disrespectful."

But the Prime Minister said he took his responsibility to the bereaved seriously.

"Every time I write a letter to mothers and fathers and partners who have suffered bereavement to express my sincere condolences, it is a moment of personal sadness to me.

"And I am in awe of the bravery and sacrifice of the men and women of our armed forces.

"I send a handwritten letter to every family and I often write to more than one member of the family.

"I have telephoned Jacqui Janes to apologise for any unintended mistake in the letter.

"To all other families whom I have written to, I can only apologise if my handwriting is difficult to read.

"I have at all times acted in good faith seeking to do the right thing. I do not think anyone will believe that I write letters with any intent to cause offence," he said.

(BMcC/GK)