Rishi Sunak left British veterans behind to record a television interview but is being asked to come clean about why he missed the event at Omaha Beach in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer.
Furious military officials have slammed Defence Secretary Rishi Sunak for missing key ceremonies of the Normandy landings and recording television interviews that left British veterans behind.
The prime minister is being asked to reveal the truth about whether he missed the solemn anniversary in a desperate attempt to rejuvenate a faltering election campaign.
Sunak was interviewed by ITV late on Thursday afternoon or early evening after returning to the UK from celebrations marking the anniversary of the Normandy landings.
ITV’s Paul Brand confirmed on News at Ten that the Prime Minister had returned from Normandy for the interview, saying the network interviews all the party leaders and had been trying to secure a date with Mr Sunak for some time.
“Today was the time they offered us,” he said. “I don’t know why.”
The full interview was due to be broadcast as a special edition of current affairs programme Tonight next Wednesday, but a clip from the interview, in which Mr Sunak slams claims he lied about Labour’s tax reform proposals, was released on Twitter on Thursday night.
Sunak attended a British and French memorial service in Vers-sur-Mer in Normandy on Thursday, attended by King Charles, Queen Camilla and French President Emmanuel Macron. Sunak, who was there with his wife, Akshata Mursi, told veterans: “We owe you everything.”
But he did not attend the high-profile ceremony at Omaha Beach in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, instead returning to the UK, where the general election campaign is in full swing.
Meanwhile, Keir Starmer took part in the event alongside world leaders including Mr Macron and US President Joe Biden, along with Defence Secretary Grant Shapps and Foreign Secretary David Cameron, who were deployed in place of Mr Sunak.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was also in attendance and was filmed in passionate conversation with Starmer, after which world leaders issued statements condemning the violence in Gaza.
A Labour source said: “Rishi Sunak should tell the truth and his absence from this afternoon’s D-Day commemorations was probably an attempt to reassure the public he’s not a liar.” Downing Street and senior Conservative officials declined to comment.
Conservative party sources had earlier played down the impact of the prime minister’s absence, saying he planned to meet top leaders including Macron, Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Group of Seven summit in Italy next week. But his absence angered former senior military officials.
Colonel Richard Kemp, a former British Army commander in Afghanistan, told the Mirror: “I know we have to fight our way through the general election, but this is a very significant anniversary of a great military achievement that brought freedom to Europe.”
“There are veterans participating in this tournament who may never be able to participate again because of their age, so I think it was really important that he showed his enthusiasm for the tournament.”
“He should have stayed. As our prime minister, he should have been there to represent the country and pay tribute to those who died.”
Former British Army officer Colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon also criticised the decision, saying it was “deeply disappointing. What could be more important than honouring those who have given their lives for this country?”
Mr Starmer said the national commemorations in Normandy had been “moving and powerful”, adding: “My message to veterans is ‘thank you'”.