You bloody bigot!

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been caught on microphone describing a voter he had just spoken to in Rochdale as a "bigoted woman".

Sixty five-year-old Gillian Duffy had challenged Mr Brown on a number of issues including immigration and crime.

As he got into his car, he was still wearing a broadcast microphone and was heard to say "that was a disaster".

Mr Brown later apologised after the tape was played to him as he was interviewed on BBC Radio 2.

After listening to the recording, with his head in his hands, he said: "I do apologise if I've said anything that has been hurtful."

The comments were made after the conversation with Mrs Duffy which ended with him complimenting her and her family.

Off camera, but not realising he still had a Sky News microphone pinned to his shirt, he was head to tell an aide: "That was a disaster - they should never have put me with that woman. Whose idea was that? It's just ridiculous..."

Gillian Duffy: "I want to know why I was called a bigot"

Asked what she had said, he is heard to reply: "Ugh everything! She's just a sort of bigoted woman that said she used to be Labour. I mean it's just ridiculous. I don't know why Sue brought her up towards me."

Mrs Duffy, a widow, said after hearing of Mr Brown's comments: "I'm very upset. He's an educated person. Why has he come out with words like that?

"He's supposed to be leading the country and he's calling an ordinary woman who's come up and asked questions that most people would ask him...It's going to be tax, tax, tax for another 20 years to get out of this national debt, and he's calling me a bigot."

She had earlier told reporters she was a lifelong Labour voter and described Mr Brown as being "very nice."

BBC News Channel chief political correspondent Laura Kuenssberg said this was "the worst moment of the campaign so far" for the Labour Party. Their tactic of putting him in contact with more "ordinary people" had "gone quite horribly wrong".

Brown: 'I apologise if I've said anything that has been hurtful'

Speaking on Radio 2's Jeremy Vine show, Mr Brown said: "Of course I apologise if I've said anything that's been offensive and I would never put myself in a position where I would want to say anything like that about a woman I'd met.

"I blame myself for what is done, but you've got to remember that this was me being helpful to the broadcasters, with my microphone on, rushing into the car because I had to get to another appointment and they have chosen to play my private conversation. These things can happen, I apologise profusely to the lady concerned."

Gordon Brown has since telephoned Mrs Duffy to personally apologise for the comments, telling her he was very sorry and said she "is a good woman".

When asked did this in any way make up for the comments she said "no - absolutely not".

The Conservatives said Mr Brown's comments spoke for themselves.

Shadow chancellor George Osborne said: "That's the thing about general elections, they do reveal the truth about people."

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HawkTrader said:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8649012.stm

Muahaha, this is ridiculous. Have a watch of the videos on the BBC page and tell me your opinion.

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Ambrose Ackroyd said:

Brown is an arrogant rectum and will hopefully be voted resoundingly out of office and banished to the sewer pits of Scotland, where he undoubtedly originated from.

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Splitlink said:

I've heard this on the radio. I don't like Brown and am not Labour but I wonder how many of us are guilty of similar commentaries once the offending person is thought to be out of earshot.

This will not be allowed to rest and what I say does not deter from the mess he's stuck his big feet in. It is not the first time that mikes have not been switched off and is a media scoop that will be milked for everything that it is worth.

Poor guy!

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It's the least of three evils - what a choice between clapped out useless Labour, half baked sound bite Liberals and the Tory twits.

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I have reported this incident to the police, who will hopefully see to it that's she's prosecuted for her hate-mongering.

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There's no place in modern Britain for a fascist like her.

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Ambrose Ackroyd said:

I didn't realise she was such a b1tch.

Thanks for pointing this out maiden22.



Better I f**k off then.

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