After widespread criticism, prime minister (Rishi Sunak) says decision to skip ceremony in France was a ‘mistake’.
British Chancellor Rishi Sunak has apologised for leaving the international D-Day commemorations in France early to give a television interview as part of his campaign for next month’s UK general election.
The leader of the ruling Conservative Party posted the apology on X on Friday after facing intense criticism across political lines for missing the ceremony the previous day.
“I have just returned to the UK from the UK events in Normandy. In retrospect I have come to the conclusion that it was a mistake not to have stayed in France longer and for that I apologise,” he said.
World leaders including Mr Sunak, US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macro gathered in Normandy in northern France on Thursday to mark the 80th anniversary of the Allied landings, marking a turning point in the Second World War.
Mr Sunak spoke at a British-led event in Ver-sur-Mer, but delegated other duties to cabinet members, including Foreign Secretary David Cameron, and was later joined by Mr Biden, Mr Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at a memorial service at Omaha Beach in Saint-Laurent – where Mr Biden was photographed.
News reports said Mr Sunak had left France early to give an interview to British broadcaster ITV News, due to air until Wednesday.
Opinion polls ahead of the July 4 general election show the Conservatives trailing the main opposition Labour Party by around 20 points.
Conservative opponents were quick to criticise Mr Sunak’s early departure from the party.
“Yesterday’s D-Day commemorations were meant to remember the bravery of all those who served our country,” said Jonathan Ashworth, a senior Labour spokesman. “By choosing to make a superficial TV appearance for himself rather than for veterans, Rishi Sunak has shown what matters most to him.
Labour leader Keir Starmer also attended an event in Normandy on Thursday, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.”
Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said on his X show that Sunak had “completely neglected his duties”.
“One of the greatest privileges of being prime minister is to pay tribute to the people you serve. But Rishi Sunak has abandoned them on the beaches of Normandy,” he said on X.
. “He should not have worried about how it looked. He should have known it would be a real insult to those who mattered more than him that day,” she said in another post.
Mr Sunak defended himself and said in his apology statement that he cared deeply about veterans. “This memorial day should be dedicated to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. The last thing I want is for this commemoration to be overshadowed by politics.”
However some observers pointed out that with the Conservative leader recently pledging to introduce mandatory military or civilian national service for all 18-year-olds, his decision to ditch the commemoration of an historic military event in which his country played such a prominent role could be seen as out-of-touch with voters’ sensibilities.
Sunak’s apparent miscalculation could also see him bleeding support from traditional Conservative voters. On the BBC’s Newsnight on Thursday, influential Tory commentator Tim Montgomerie, co-founder of centre-right think tank the Centre for Social Justice, pointed out that the event would be the “last commemoration where survivors … will be present”, accusing Sunak of “political malpractice of the highest order”.