Gordon Brown's preparations for the final televised leaders' debate have been over-shadowed by a major political row after he described a voter he had met as a "bigoted woman". The Labour leader has apologised to Gillian Duffy from Rochdale, for his comment, which was caught on an unguarded microphone.
The party leaders will spend today preparing for the debate, which will focus on the economy, and is being screened on BBC One at 8:30pm. In an email to Labour activists, Brown said: "You have seen me in one context on the TV [today]. I hope [tomorrow] you see once more someone not just proud to be your leader but also someone who understands the economic challenges we face."
In her exchange with the prime minister, Duffy questioned Brown on issues including immigration from eastern Europe and pensions. Once he returned to his car, Brown, who was still wearing a Sky News microphone, was heard to tell an aide that the meeting "was a disaster" and call Duffy a "bigoted woman".
In an interview with the BBC, the Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, conceded that Brown's comments were a "dreadful mistake". He said: Gordon's not slick, he's not one of these people who gets up in the morning in a kind of sophisticated approach to politics," he said.
"He's a very human person, we all know that. This was a dreadful mistake, there's no getting around that but we will get on tonight to talking about the economy and the important issues."
