Another Brown wobbly as he slams top soldiers.

Sometimes Gordon Brown's brass neck literally makes the jaw drop.

His latest spat with former soldiers comes smartly on the heals of the prime minister's appearance at the Chilcot Inquiry, during which he claimed that military commanders were always provided with the equipment they requested in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The chronology is instructive, and tells us all we need to know about the veracity of Brown's statements.

First the prime minister makes his claim. Lord Guthrie and Admiral Lord Boyce accuse Brown of disingenuous answers. At PM's questions Gordon reacts with the equanimity we have come to expect and rants about Tory officers.

Soldiers on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq have persistently complained about the inadequacy of their equipment. Should we suppose that they too are motivated by party political spite?

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