PM writes to families of fallen

Mr Brown said public support for our forces was part of our national identity

Gordon Brown has revealed he writes to the families of all British military personnel who have died in Afghanistan.

The prime minister said he wanted to acknowledge the "debt of gratitude" to the individual and those who paid the "ultimate price" of losing a loved one.

He told Real Radio in Glasgow: "I always write... if there is any death or casualty that causes death."

His comments came as three former chiefs of the defence staff questioned his commitment and support for troops.

Lord Inge said the armed forces never really believed Mr Brown was "on their side" while Lord Boyce said the government "did not realise we are at war".

Public support

And Lord Guthrie accused the prime minister of "dithering" over his decision to send another 500 troops to Afghanistan.

Earlier, the prime minister vowed the UK would not "walk away" from its Afghan commitments.

We will not be deterred, dissuaded or diverted from taking whatever measures are necessary to protect our security Gordon Brown Brown warns Karzai on corruption

In the speech in London, he said it was "simply wrong" to say troops were not getting the support they needed.

He said he was determined to do everything necessary to protect UK troops, and pointed out that Labour had spent £1bn on new armoured vehicles for troops serving there in Afghanistan since 2006.

"We will not be deterred, dissuaded or diverted from taking whatever measures are necessary to protect our security," he said.

Mr Brown also used the speech to warn Afghan President Hamid Karzai he will not put UK troops "in harm's way for a government that does not stand up against corruption".

In Scotland, Mr Brown also praised Help for Heroes, a charity supporting wounded soldiers, and said the support the public had for the forces was "a great and central part of what we were as a country".

The latest British casualty of the war in Afghanistan has been named as Serjeant Phillip Scott, 30, of 3rd Battalion The Rifles.

He was killed in an explosives clearance operation in Sangin in southern Afghanistan on Thursday.

The number of British military personnel killed on operations in Afghanistan since 2001 stands at 230.

Former prime minister Tony Blair also wrote personally to the families of fallen service personnel, a Downing Street spokesperson said.