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Gordon Brown's news conference

Take part in the Sky News liveblog at 10am

  • Welcome to the liveblog for the Prime Minister's press conference.
    by RuthBarnett at 11/10/2009 9:18:44 AM
  • Join in the 10am liveblog on Gordon Brown's press conference at www.skynews.com and share your views.
    by RuthBarnett via twitter at 11/10/2009 9:33:09 AM
  • i feel for the lady who has lost her son in a war that we shouldnt be in,however the PM sent a personal letter to try and comfort her. Would the lady prefer a telegram(i know we dont have them now) delivered by a postman? Her son enlisted. Being killed is a chance anyone entering the services takes. During every conflict we are always after more equiptment, its never enough for the services. sadly this seems to be the lot of the services.
    by Gary at 11/10/2009 9:57:54 AM
  • While I do not think highly of Mr Brown, everyone is on his case at this time.
    With ref to the letter in his defence, that while the spelling was poor he did at least put pen to paper personally and not have a P.A. bash out a few meaningless words on a pc.
    Also some may have noticed he does have quite a bit on his plate like running a country.
    by s henshaw at 11/10/2009 9:58:24 AM
  • Is this for real? Whilst not being Mr Browns biggest fan surely this lady should show a little understanding? The man has no sight in one eye and at least took the time and had the decency to HANDWRITE the letter himself rather than have some faceless civil servant do it for him.While I have every sympathy for the lady in question I cannot help also feeling that the whole thing smacks of "ooh ooh give me some publicity"!
    by Richard at 11/10/2009 10:03:17 AM
  • I can't believe the stupidity of Sky news to even broadcast such a unimportant event. I think mothers should shut up. It is not a blunder. The soldier was employed. If he didn't agree with the conditions, then he should have left the army. He wasn't the first to die.
    by elisabeth zeller at 11/10/2009 10:03:28 AM
  • Can i just say atleast the pm took the time to write the letter i think this argument is petty and really uncalled for there are more important things going on in the world, i understand that the lady is greiving, i dont think she has done the right thing. Also Gordon i think that if you were more honest and open about the "war" in afghanastan then you would receive more support, we as brits like the brutal truth regardless,peoples eyes need to be opened to exactly what were fighting for, lest we forget xxxx
    by shirley at 11/10/2009 10:04:04 AM
  • Gordon Brown is set to open with an announcement on health before the question and answer session begins.
    by RuthBarnett at 11/10/2009 10:04:59 AM
  • #PM pays tribute to lives lost: "My thoughts and prayers today as everyday are with those now struggling with the loss of a loved one."
    by RuthBarnett via twitter at 11/10/2009 10:08:01 AM
  • #PM announces free health check every year for people over the age of 40. He's now handed over to Andy Burnham.
    by RuthBarnett via twitter at 11/10/2009 10:09:25 AM
  • My sympathy is with Mrs Janes and her family, but how saddened I was to see that she felt it necessary to bring this to the public's attention. I'm sure Gordon Brown did this as a genuine act of sympathy for a grieving mother, but to have it all over the newspapers...is that what this country has been reduced to!!!!! Take a stance for goodness sake and don't jump on the bandwagon.
    by S Cullen at 11/10/2009 10:09:35 AM
  • I think this Mother needs to realise that her son chose to join the Army and stop blaming Gordon Brown for everything. He has awful handwriting, big deal. He unlike many world leaders out there hand writes his own letters!
    by Ian at 11/10/2009 10:10:29 AM
  • Burnham: Health service has gone from poor to good over the past decade.
    by RuthBarnett via twitter at 11/10/2009 10:11:29 AM
  • I feel great sadness that another mother has lost her child and my sympathy goes out to them. On the letter mr brown sent the family, yes he clearly has issues with spelling and getting the surname wrong I can agree with (that should have been right) as I know with my surname most people get it wrong even when you spell it to them. I do not think mr brown would intentionally send out a letter if he knowingly knew there were errors in it as he wouldn't intentionally want to offend. Give him a break he has rung in person to appologise he could have just left it.
    by N Allkins at 11/10/2009 10:11:54 AM
  • Lots of comments on Twitter remarking that Gordon Brown seems subdued.
    by RuthBarnett at 11/10/2009 10:13:21 AM
  • #PM on Jacqui Janes: I feel for the mother's grief, I understand the pain she is going through... That loss can never be replaced.
    by RuthBarnett via twitter at 11/10/2009 10:13:37 AM
  • Ok madam! Let's correct all spelling errors and bring dead soldiers back to life
    by toto at 11/10/2009 10:14:31 AM
  • A mother loses her son and needs someone to blame. That person is not Mr Brown but the evil terrorists we are fighting. Her son chose the career he did, no one forced him, he knew the dangers he faced everyday in other countries and even in their own barracks, just look what happened in american. Mr Brown took the time and effort to write to her and this whole thing is petty and uncalled for. Sky News and the papers should not be making a big deal out of it. As for equipment, they are well equiped but if Mr Brown decided to spend billions giving out the cutting edge equipment he would be blasted for wasting public money. Just look whats happening with Trident.
    by Willbodie at 11/10/2009 10:14:42 AM
  • #PM: I think the whole of the country feels a sense of loss when anyone who has been serving our country in Afghanistan is injured or dies.
    by RuthBarnett via twitter at 11/10/2009 10:14:49 AM
  • i dont usually comment on things but i find it very upsetting that mrs janes would use her grieving time to put our country`s already under pressure government into more turmoil, and taping a conversation with your prime minister without his knowledge or consent is making her look like she had a different agenda. i feel for every families loss during this conflict, it`s time to be a country united and stop using the death of our troops for politics....
    by pete (yorkshire) at 11/10/2009 10:17:20 AM
  • #PM replies to Sky's Adam Boulton: If my writing is difficult to read, I apologise for that.
    by RuthBarnett via twitter at 11/10/2009 10:18:18 AM
  • Come on people!! What is going on here?! The PM decides to take time out of his very busy schedule to write a condolence letter and everyone starts picking holes!!! The man does not know how to spell, big deal! What’s important is the spirit of the letter, the thought behind the letter.
    My condolence to all mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, wives, husbands and children who have lost loved ones but in this case, I don't think this mother is really grieving. If she was, then she won't have time to notice that the PM made grammatical errors. heck! If the Nigerian President wrote & sent a letter, the world must be at an end.
    It’s good to have a country where everyone can be held accountable but I think it’s being overdone in the UK. At every given opportunity you put the PM down. This person is only human like you and I. There are more important issues to discuss & find lasting solutions to than worrying about grammatical errors.
    And the Sun newspaper, how very low. That’s why it will always remain a TABLOID paper!
    by Sec328 at 11/10/2009 10:19:40 AM
  • #PM insists he has asked for assurance that every soldier sent abroad is properly equipped for the task
    by RuthBarnett via twitter at 11/10/2009 10:21:31 AM
  • Clearly you lot have never had dealings with the military or the military life. Yes he signed up but it's still a shock and it's the last thing you want to happen

    It's bad enough if someone was to get your name wrong while chatting to you, let alone your dead child. That's just inconsiderate and disrespectful. He's the Prime Minister for God's sake! A well educated man... Apparantly! Surely he must have at least one advisor or kiss a**e politician there to proof read it first if his eyesight and spelling are that bad! And it wasn't the first time, was it? He even got it wrong in the House of Commons!

    Unbelievable! Gordon Brown makes me sick.

    xXx
    by EmDubs edited by RuthBarnett at 11/10/2009 10:23:54 AM
  • Mr Brown is setting out the strategy to win the support of the people of Afghanistan.
    by RuthBarnett at 11/10/2009 10:25:56 AM
  • to mr brown. most of us are behind you as you are still the countries political leader. it`s a time of great fear, and i wish us all the best in this uncertain future. i dont sir agree with war, but at least we stand up and defend the helpless, lest we forget the sacrifices of our young men and women, for freedom.
    by Sec328 at 11/10/2009 10:27:14 AM
  • What does Mrs James hope to gain from this???what would anyone gain, some smug self satisfaction? Doesn't change a thing, just souring the memory of her brave son. Please Mrs James honour your son properly not having a pointless fight in public. Do you want us to remember him for the wrong reasons?
    by mark at 11/10/2009 10:27:27 AM
  • I understand her grief as a mum myself and also having a brother in law who is in the army, but this is getting out of hand, these are now personal attacks on Gordon Brown, I think people are just jumping on the band wagon and kicking a man whilst he is down, he didn't mean any disrespect-yes it was naive but not malicious, remember Gordon Brown has himself lost a child and knows better than anyone the pain. As a relative of a serving soldier I am sick of negative negative reports yes there are issues with kit etc but these boys CHOOSE to fight for their country and just get on with their job and i would rather people concentrated on suporting them and making them feel like they are doing a good thing in Afghanistan this is not good for their moral, we cannot just pull out of this war now it wouldn't be fair on the afghan people who didn't ask for this and it would also mean our
    boys have died in vain.
    by Emma at 11/10/2009 10:29:10 AM
  • I understand that th lady is upset, but the guy clearly has issues with letter writing, but at least had the decency to attempt. Get off the mans case!!
    by sam at 11/10/2009 10:29:17 AM
  • I have lost a family member not soo long ago in afghan and i have got to say this letter has been blown out of proportion, he cant spell well neither can the best of us at times, he took the time, he thought about the family, he paid his respects not cause he had to but because he wanted to... gordon brown is getting alot of stick here and its wrong
    by annon at 11/10/2009 10:31:23 AM
  • Interesting to see how many of you have friends or relatives in the military right now and may have been touched by the losses in Afghanistan. You can add a tribute to those who have lost their lives here: www.skynews.com/fallenheroes
    by RuthBarnett at 11/10/2009 10:32:58 AM
  • Boycott the Sun! I'm with Brown.
    by Paul Taylor at 11/10/2009 10:33:50 AM
  • For godness sake! That mother should be very grateful, at least she received a handwritten letter from a man who already is obviously struggling with making time and effort for more important things! To be a soldier is to defend and fight for the country, it's a job soldiers are obviously aware of the consequences, that they may die whilst fighting! They are being paid to do what they enjoy and with their informed choice!
    by anthony at 11/10/2009 10:36:08 AM
  • #PM: The last thing on my mind was to cause any offence to Jacqui Janes. (Join our liveblog here: bit.ly)
    by RuthBarnett via twitter at 11/10/2009 10:36:48 AM
  • I'm no fan of Gordon Brown BUT he is blind in one eye and apparently his sight in the other is not perfect. Some of the folk saying he can't spell; can't spell either and some are even spelling the names wrong while criticising GB for doing that!
    by Evan Scott at 11/10/2009 10:37:10 AM
  • How can anyone throw their support behind a man so ignorant that as leader of a country he cant even write correctly. Why didn't he dictate it and have someone type it up for him?.Or would that have shown up the discrepensies in House of Commons staff too?
    by Laurie at 11/10/2009 10:37:33 AM
  • Gordon Brown is running our country and making the decisions about our future. I can honestly say that my 11 year old could have written the letter better without as many spelling mistakes. The big question is could an 11 year old run the economy better than he can?
    by Michelle Davis at 11/10/2009 10:37:38 AM
  • In answer to Ms Davis,yes it wouold appear that an 11 year old could make a better fist of running our econmy than the said PM
    by Sec328 at 11/10/2009 10:40:44 AM
  • I cannot believe that this is so important as to be news, and continuing breaking news- let him get on with more important things than defending his spelling, we all make mistakes in spelling - sky have just spelt "equiped" incorrectly as "equipt" is that going to be breaking news? I constantly get my name spelt incorrectly- my first name and surname are regularly spelt incorrectly, you live with it if your name is slightly unusual!
    by Naomi at 11/10/2009 10:40:56 AM
  • Burnham returns to the podium to answer questions on health. Brown is also responding to questions on the economy.
    by RuthBarnett at 11/10/2009 10:41:06 AM
  • #PM asked about 'resign' petition: Criticism is part of the job & I accept people have differing views on the issues facing the country.
    by RuthBarnett via twitter at 11/10/2009 10:44:09 AM
  • I can't believe people are saying "at least he took time out of his busy schedule". Of course he should. Writing such letters is THE most important task he has as PM. It's the very least he should do that it is free from errors and written neatly. My husband only has one eye and can write perfectly neatly so that excuse is rubbish.
    by Jo at 11/10/2009 10:46:22 AM
  • It's sad to see a mothers's loss being turned into a publicity stunt - and a clear attempt at a set-up at that! Spelling errors or not the Prime Minister's intentions were those of kindness and he should not be pilloried for this at all.
    by George Ronald at 11/10/2009 10:47:08 AM
  • Leave Mr Brown alone at least he wrote the letter himself so what if he made a few spelling mistakes and his hand writing is untidy , he took time out to write a hand written letter why make a issue out of it sadly your son has died along with many others,think about that and not a letter that had spelling mistakes
    by Eve Davies at 11/10/2009 10:48:15 AM
  • Would this lady have prefered a telegram instead ? Mr Brown has addressed this lady personally - let's not make a silly publicity issue out of all this for goodness sake
    by JK at 11/10/2009 10:53:57 AM
  • The sympathy I felt for this womans loss is surely waning with her behaviour and personal vendetta against the pm. As for the sun newspaper I will be cancelling my delivery of this witchhunting rag
    by Elizabeth at 11/10/2009 10:55:17 AM
  • The PM has now finished the press conference. Thanks to everyone who took part in the liveblog today.
    by RuthBarnett at 11/10/2009 10:57:51 AM
  • Hmm - if I had bad hand writing and bad eye sight I wouldn't have written a letter. I would have phoned each family or met them together. I sure as hell wouldn't waste time writing a letter - as a leader if you lead people into combat there is a good chance some will die.
    by Paul at 11/10/2009 11:00:07 AM
  • If I had bad hand writing I wouldn't write a letter - I would phone or meet them. Leaders lead - Gordon could lead us out of this silly combat and stop wasting troop lives - smacks of spin to me as well. Bait the media and ride the wave
    by Sec328 at 11/10/2009 11:01:12 AM
  • I am not a supporter of Mr brown,however, I feel this incidend has been blown out of all proportion. "Janes" is an unusual surname (no disrespect) and must have been mispelt dozens of times in Mrs Janes lifetime. My name, "Carrie" has often been "Currie" or whatever over the years. Mrs James should be grateful this sad incident didn't occur during world war 11. Tens of thousands of perents received the briefest typewritten note from some minor department in Whitehall stating "sorry to inform you" etc. My Aunt received such a letter in October 1940 briefly stating that her son (a spitfire pilot in the Battle of Britian, had died in a "Flying accident" He had, in fact been shot down by an ME109. She wasn't even notified of where or when any funeral would take place!! I think Mr Brown should be given an apology from Mrs Janes for the dreadful media coverage she initiated. He certainly didn't mean to cause any offence or further grief. I was amazed the hear that he even wrote personally (handwritten) to any service family at the time of their liss. Well done to him.
    by Mike Carrie at 11/10/2009 11:04:14 AM
  • How I agree with the majority of people who are suggesting that this vendetta is getting out of hand. I do not have the same busy schedule as Mr. Brown and I always type any condolence letters. (I will hand write in future). If I got upset every time people spelt my name wrong, I'd be on Valium! I am absolutely positive that Mr. Brown meant no disrespect at all. Reading the comments - a lot of people can't spell! It's no big deal, and just proves that we are all human. Will Mr. Brown cease to write any more letters after this? He must be tempted!
    by Anne Bailey at 11/10/2009 11:05:16 AM
  • I too lost a son aged 23, and understand her loss, but I must say I am dismayed that she has made it so public and involved the press. I personally was too engrossed in the loss of my son I didn't know what day of the week it was. I just don't understand this mothers reaction to the PMs letter. He took the time out write to her, that says it all ,who the hell cares about the errors with the spelling. He's running the country yet he made an effort to offer condolences and has been slapped down by her and the media THE SUN
    by Sec328 at 11/10/2009 11:08:31 AM
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