London, England (CNN) -- UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown apologized "profusely" on Wednesday after he was caught on microphone describing a woman who spoke to him on the election campaign trail "bigoted".
The encounter took place in Rochdale, northwest England, after the Labour party leader had a discussion with an elderly widow about the size of Britain's national debt, tax and immigration.
Brown then got into his car and was driven away but he was still wearing a radio microphone, allowing broadcasters to pick up his conversation with an aide.
"That was a disaster," Brown said about the encounter. "Should never have put me with that woman -- whose idea was that?" He added: "She was just a sort of bigoted woman".
The woman, Gillian Duffy, told reporters that she wanted an apology from Brown over his "very upsetting" comments.
Brown later told BBC radio: "I apologise profusely to the lady concerned. I don't think she is that".
CNN
