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Gordon Brown has said the whole world would be "saddened" by the death of Polish President Lech Kaczynski who was killed in a plane crash in Russia.Conservative leader David Cameron said it was a "very black day for Poland".
Polish citizens living in the UK have written to the BBC talking about their shock at the "national tragedy".
The president's wife, Poland's army chief, central bank governor, MPs and leading historians were among more than 80 passengers on board the flight.
Officials say his aircraft came down as it tried to land in thick fog at Smolensk airport, western Russia.
'Biggest tragedy'
Members of the Polish community in the UK have been e-mailing the BBC since the news broke.
Marcin, from London, said: "I was shocked, when I discovered what happened in Smolensk this morning.
"It is the biggest tragedy in the history of Poland, because so many very important people have died at the same time."
The prime minister broke off from campaigning in Scotland to pay tribute to the Polish president.
"I think the whole world will be saddened and in sorrow as a result of the tragic death in a plane crash of President Kaczynski and his wife Maria and the party that were with them," he said.
"We know the difficulties that Poland has gone through, the sacrifices that he himself made as part of the Solidarity movement.
Mr Cameron said he was a "very brave Polish patriot who stood up for freedom".
"He suffered hugely under communism and always stood up for his beliefs, and for his great faith in his country," he added.This article is from the BBC News website. ? British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.