David Cameron has pledged to tackle the ''dreadful situation'' of a baby girl denied compensation after her father was killed in Afghanistan three months before she was born.

Baby Lexie-Mai was left without a father when Private Daniel Wade was killed by a Taliban bomb attack in Afghanistan.

Lexie-Mai held by an unnamed family member alongside her mother Emma Hickman, right -  Photo: Anna Gowthorpe/PA

Pte Wade had been engaged to her mother Emma Hickman, who was six months pregnant when he died in action alongside five of his comrades.

Miss Hickman, 19, gave birth to Lexie-Mai three months later and believed the child would receive compensation from the military to help secure her future.

Instead, military officials refused the application for payment, claiming Pte Wade's paternity could not be proved.

Today, David Cameron said the compensation dispute ''could not be allowed to continue'', adding: ''We have to move quickly and get this sorted.''

Speaking at Prime Minister's questions, Conservative David Mowat, MP for Warrington South, said a legal wrangle meant Lexie-Mai would not receive financial assistance.

He told the Commons: ''The Army will not accept paternity without evidence, nor will they release the DNA without a court order. As a consequence, Lexie-Mai received nothing.''

He urged the Prime Minister to ''help expedite'' the case and consider ordering the Army to routinely hold DNA on soldiers, as happens in the US.

Ms Hickman, right, gave birth to Lexie-Mai three months after Pte Wade's death and believed the child would receive compensation from the military - Photo: MoD/Dave Thompson/PA

Mr Cameron said he would ''certainly look at'' the measure, but added: ''It does raise some complicated legal issues.''

Pte Wade, 20, of 3rd Battalion, the Yorkshire Regiment, was killed on March 6 alongside Pte Anthony Frampton, 20, Pte Christopher Kershaw, 19, Corporal Jake Hartley, 20, and Pte Daniel Wilford, 21, all also of 3 Yorks, and Sergeant Nigel Coupe, 33, of 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.

The soldiers, who had been in Afghanistan for only a few weeks, died when their Warrior armoured vehicle was blown up by a massive improvised explosive device about 25 miles north of the capital of Helmand province, Lashkar Gah.

A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Defence said: "There are complicated legal issues affecting this case. We remain in close contact with Miss Hickman and have advised her on how she can take her case forward."

By Hannah Furness

Source: telegraph.co.uk