Just over a week ahead of what promises to be a close-run British general election, Prime Minister Gordon Brown finds his foot squarely in his mouth. During a campaign stop in the northwestern English town of Rochdale, Brown referred to a voter as a "bigoted woman", while wearing a live television microphone.

During the stop, Brown held a conversation with 66-year-old Gillian Duffy. She challenged him on Britain's public deficit and immigration, among other topics.

After finishing his conversation with Duffy, Brown climbed into his car and began discussing the conversation with members of his staff.

"That was a disaster," said Brown over a TV microphone that was still recording. "Should never have put me with that woman. Whose idea was that?"

After an aide asked about the conversation, Brown replied "She was just a sort of bigoted woman."

Gordon's gaffe

Brown apologized "profusely" in a radio interview when his comments became public. He also paid a visit to Duffy's home to apologize in person. Emerging from Duffy's home, Brown told a crowd of reporters he was "mortified" by what had happened.

"Sometimes you do make mistakes and you use wrong words, and once you've used that word and you've made a mistake, you should withdraw it and say profound apologies, and that's what I've done," Brown said.

He said he had "misunderstood" some of Duffy's comments.

Gillian Duffy, a self-described voter of Brown's Labour party, said she was "very upset" to learn what he had said about her.

"He is an educated person," she said. "Why is he using words like that?"

Observers say Brown's slip of the tongue could be quite damaging to his campaign. It came a day ahead of the final televised debate between Brown and the two other candidates for prime minister, Conservative David Cameron and Liberal Democrat Nick Clegg.

mz/AP/Reuters
Editor: Susan Houlton