Rishi Sunak sparks fury as he snubs D-Day commemorations to record ITV interview

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been slammed by members of the armed forces after the Tory party leader appeared to snub veterans by failing to attend a ceremony to commemorate fallen D-Day soldiers in order to take part in a pre-recorded TV interview. The PM, who is currently predicted to face one of the biggest election defeats in Tory history, has been widely criticised by military veterans and politicians alike for leaving behind a handful of surviving veterans and their families to drum up voter support with ITV.

Earlier on Thursday June 6, Mr.Sunak had been in France to pay his respects alongside King Charles, Queen Camilla, and a host of world leaders, but cut his visit short to fly back to the UK from the beaches at Normandy to do an interview according to the Mirror. As a result, the PM missed a major memorial service in commemoration of the milestone 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings which helped to change the course of World War II.

The latest move is just one in a long line of political faux-pas from the PM which could cost him the election, as his Labour opponents have urged him to "tell the truth" about whether he swerved the poignant commemorations to "prove he's not a liar" and try to claw back some positive publicity in the run up to the polls next month.

READ MORE: 11 cringeworthy moments from the Rishi Sunak v Keir Starmer ITV debate

The interview, which is due to be broadcast on ITV next Wednesday, June 12, was conducted by ITV journalist Paul Brand, who himself confirmed that Rishi had flown back from Normandy to do the interview with the channel in the late afternoon or early evening on Thursday, despite having been otherwise engaged at the memorial, reports the Daily Record.

Mr Brand said ITV was interviewing all of the party leaders in a series of Tonight programmes and had been working to secure a date with Mr Sunak for some time. "Today was the slot they offered us," he said. "We don't know why.”

Ahead of the interview’s airdate, a sneak preview of what voters can expect was shared online, and featured Mr.Sunak lashing out at claims he lied about Labour’s tax plans earlier this week. The heated denial comes after the Prime Minister told viewers that Labour’s tax plans will create a £38.5bn hole in public finances over four years, during the first televised election debate earlier this week against opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer.

Rishi’s decision to leave the planned memorial events in Normandy for the sake of politics have received widespread criticism among voters, especially as many of the veterans in attendance are already well into their 90s and may not live to see another milestone anniversary.

Even more bafflingly, Rishi had initially been present for the Franco-British commemorations at Ver-sur-Mer on Thursday morning attended by King Charles and Queen Camilla, alongside French President Emmanuel Macron where he told veterans “we owe you everything” before heading back to the UK.

His political rival, Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer meanwhile did attend the evening service as he stood alongside world leaders including Mr Macron and US President Joe Biden at the event alongside Defence Secretary Grant Shapps and Foreign Secretary David Cameron, whom Mr Sunak sent in his place. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky also attended, and was pictured deep in conversation with Mr Starmer, before all the world leaders released a statement condemning the ongoing violence in Gaza.

Earlier in the day, a Tory source had tried to downplay the significance of Rishi’s absence from the event as they instead argued that the PM would be reunited with Mr Macron, Mr Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and other top leaders at the G7 summit in Italy next week. However this wasn’t enough to silence critics, including several military leaders who slammed the PM for his tone deaf choice.

Col Richard Kemp, a former British Army commander in Afghanistan, told the Mirror: “I know there is a General Election campaign to fight but this is a very significant anniversary of a major military achievement which led to freedom in Europe. It’s being attended by some of the veterans who may never attend another due to their age. I think it was very important that he showed his commitment to it.

"He should have stayed. As the PM of our country he should have been there to represent the country and to show our gratitude to those who fell.”

Former British Army officer Colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon also criticised the decision. He said: "It's a great disappointment. What could be more important than respecting the people who gave their lives for this country?”

By contrast, Mr Starmer’s presence at the event was well received, especially after he dubbed the occasion as “moving and powerful” and even went on to pay his own tribute to veterans adding: "My message to the veterans is 'thank you’”