British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak apologised on Friday for leaving D-Day commemorations in France early, admitting a major public relations blunder in the sweltering weather. General Election Activity.
“I returned to England after the British activities in Normandy were over.” Sunak wrote on social media platform X“In retrospect, it was a mistake not to have stayed in France longer – I’m deeply sorry.”
Sunak did not explain why he decided to leave early. But after returning to London, he gave an interview to ITV in which he was asked about his Claims made during televised debates This week, the opposition Labour Party will raise taxes on British households by 2,000 pounds, or about $2,560.
Sunak's apology came after a barrage of criticism with less than four weeks to go before the UK general election.
The Labour Party condemned his early departure as a “dereliction of duty”. Liberal Democrat leader Ed David accused Sunak of “abandoning” elderly Normandy veterans. Even some officials in Sunak's own Conservative Party expressed disappointment.
Sunak's departure means his foreign secretary, David Cameron, will represent the UK at the afternoon ceremony, alongside the leaders of France, Germany and the United States.
It made for an unusual picture: former Prime Minister Cameron posed for a photo with President Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Omaha Beach.
With Sunak preoccupied with keeping the Conservatives in power at home, Cameron has often filled in for him on the global stage. But in this case, Sunak gave critics an opportunity to suggest that he was prioritizing politics over a sacred milestone in the West’s resistance to Nazi tyranny.
Jonathan Ashworth, a prominent Labour official, said: “The fact that Rishi Sunak has chosen to prioritise his TV appearances over veterans shows what is most important.” It suggests Labour plans to use the decision against Sunak. “There will be more despair, more confusion and more terrible judgements from a prime minister who is out of touch with reality.”
Sunak attended a ceremony in Vers-sur-Mer in northern France on Thursday morning, alongside Macron, King Charles III and Queen Camilla. But he was absent from a later ceremony at Omaha Beach attended by Macron, Biden, Scholz and other leaders.
“This Remembrance Day should honour those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. The last thing I want is for the commemorations to be overshadowed by politics,” Sunak wrote in a social media post.
Labour leader Keir Starmer attended the event and was photographed shaking hands and talking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Starmer, whose party has led the Conservatives in polls by double digits for 18 months, has sought to raise his profile at international conferences in recent months.
It is a chance for Starmer to regain his footing after a sometimes shaky performance in a televised debate with a feisty Sunak on Tuesday night.
Sunak answered more questions on ITV about his claim Labour would raise taxes. Starmer said the allegation was a “lie” and senior civil servants criticised it.
ITV's UK editor Paul Brand said the network had been trying to arrange an interview with Mr Sunak. “Today was the time slot they offered us,” he told ITV's News at Ten. “We don't know why.”
