A Somerset MP has apologised after mistakenly saying a British Afghan veteran took their own life over the events in Afghanistan.

James Heappey told Sky News he felt 'sick to the bottom of my stomach' after learning a soldier who served in Afghanistan had taken their own life.

But within minutes he told the BBC on air the report may be inaccurate.

The BBC reported that the confusion began when Mr Heappey - who is the government's armed forces minister - appeared on Sky News on Monday morning and talked about UK veterans' mental health.

Mr Heappey, whose constituency includes Burnham, Highbridge and Cheddar, said British servicemen and women had been hugely affected by the withdrawal of UK and US troops from Afghanistan and the subsequent Taliban takeover.

But within the hour, while he was interviewed on BBC Breakfast, Mr Heappey corrected himself on air.

When asked about the report of the veteran's death, he said: "Since I mentioned that on Sky, we've had a number of reports that actually the thing I was referring to was inaccurate.

"We're looking very, very carefully at whether or not it is true that someone has taken their life in the last few days, but actually that shouldn't take away that far too many service people have taken their own lives in the last 10 years as a consequence of their service in Afghanistan."

Mr Heappey - a former army major who served in Afghanistan - said his main message was 'that too many veterans had taken their own lives while struggling with mental illness'.

He then tweeted an apology to Sky journalist Deborah Haynes, saying: "I'm sorry to have said something that might not be true.

"The note referred very accurately to my last tour of Afghanistan with two rifles in 2009 and I've spent the weekend fearing a colleague had taken their life. However, MoD aren't certain that note is real, so I wanted to clarify."

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is also expected to defend his handling of the crisis and reiterate his vow to use 'every economic, political and diplomatic lever' to help the Afghans.