British prime minister Gordon Brown has been confronted about a lack of military equipment in Afghanistan during a tense taped telephone conservation with the mother of a soldier killed there last month.
Jacqui Janes angrily challenged Mr Brown after he called to apologise for apparently getting the family name wrong and making other spelling errors in a hand-written letter of condolence he had sent following her son Jamie's death.
A transcript of the 13-minute recording of their exchanges has been published by the Sunnewspaper which this year swung its support behind the Conservatives and has been critical of Mr Brown and his government's handling of the war in Afghanistan.
Mr Brown is believed to have been unaware his conversation was being taped. News of the recording has emerged on the day the bodies of six servicemen - five of whom were shot by a rogue Afghan policeman - are due to be flown home.
According to the Sun, Ms Janes told the Prime Minister her son bled to death because of a shortage of helicopters, a lack of manpower and underfunding of the military. She also criticises him for the fact that she had to buy equipment for her 20-year-old son before he was deployed.
"How would you like it if one of your children, God forbid, went to a war... and because of lack: lack of helicopters, lack of equipment, your child bled to death?" she said.
"Mr Brown, listen to me ... I know every injury that my child sustained that day. I know that my son could have survived."
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." In difficult exchanges, Mr Brown went on to deny Britain's forces were under-equipped.
He also repeatedly denied he had misspelt Grenadier Guardsman Janes' name in his condolence letter.
Yesterday, the mother had condemned his letter as a "hastily scrawled insult" - claiming to have counted 25 spelling mistakes and errors.
During the conversation, Mr Brown seeks to reassure her that no offence had been intended. "My writing is bad," he says.
"My writing is messy, it is so, so, so, bad that you can't read it and I'm sorry about that but I have tried to write honestly and honourably about the contribution your son made..."
Mr Brown has admitted having problems with his eyesight after a childhood rugby injury left him blind in one eye.
Reuters