Rishi Sunak sparks outrage after snubbing D-Day 80th memorial for ITV interview

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has sparked anger among voters and military leaders alike after the Tory party leader appeared to snub veterans when he skipped a ceremony to commemorate fallen D-Day soldiers in order to take part in a pre-recorded TV interview. The PM, who surveys predict is on track to lose the election, has been widely criticised by military officials 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 chose to cut his visit short to fly back to the UK from the beaches at Normandy in order to film a pre-recorded interview segment, reports 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 were instrumental in helping the Allied forces to win World War II.

The latest move is just one in a long line of political gaffes from the PM which could cost him the election, as his Labour opponents have urged him to "tell the truth" about whether he deliberately swerved the poignant commemorations in order to "prove he's not a liar" in a desperate attempt to regain some positive publicity ahead of the polls next month.

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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.

Mr Brand said ITV was interviewing all of the party leaders in a series of Tonight programmes ahead of the election 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 clip of what voters can expect to see 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 surviving veterans are already advanced in age and may sadly no longer be with us for the next milestone anniversary.

To add insult to injury, 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”. However, even despite his high praise this wasn’t enough to stop the PM from 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 lessen the significance of Rishi’s absence from the event as they instead argued that the PM would still be reunited with Mr Macron, Mr Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and other top leaders at the G7 summit in Italy next week. This wasn’t enough to silence critics however, including several military leaders who slammed the PM for his decision to skip the full memorial commemorations.

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’.”

No10 and Tory bosses declined to comment.