The family of Serjeant Paul McAleese blame the Prime Minister for his death. His father John McAleese, a former SAS member who was involved in the dramatic raid that ended the 1980 siege on the Iranian Embassy said his son had said there were not enough troops to monitor areas cleared of explosives. “Top brass have repeatedly told Gordon Brown what they need, but he won’t listen,” he said, “The military must be allowed to get on with the job. If not, Brown should sack himself now.”

Sjt McAleese’s father-in-law, Stephen Minter, wrote to the Prime Minister earlier this month to say that the family was “extremely angry” because his death was “needless and avoidable” and the PM had a duty to ensure that troops had the best equipment available and that the operational tactics were “sound and sensible”…”Failing to ensure this will be seen as an act of neglect and should not be allowed to go unanswered”.