British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has issued an apology after leaving the 80th anniversary D-Day commemorations early to film a TV interview, a decision that has drawn widespread disbelief and further complicated his struggling general election campaign.
Sunak attended the initial part of the events in Normandy, France, but skipped the international ceremony at Omaha Beach, which was attended by other world leaders and veterans of the 1944 Allied operation. “The last thing I want is for the commemorations to be overshadowed by politics,” Sunak wrote in a lengthy apology on X. “After the conclusion of the British event in Normandy, I returned to the UK. On reflection, it was a mistake not to stay in France longer – and I apologize.”
However, the damage was already done, sparking anger and disbelief in Britain, and marking another major misstep in Sunak’s faltering election campaign.
Sunak left the event to record a campaign interview with ITV, where he defended claims about the opposition Labour Party’s tax plans, which fact-checkers and a senior civil servant had called misleading or inaccurate. Over 20 heads of state and government, along with representatives from royal families across Europe, attended the international ceremony. This significant event marked the 80th anniversary of the Allied beach landings in Nazi-occupied France, which laid the groundwork for Germany’s defeat in World War II.
Sunak’s veterans minister, Johnny Mercer, acknowledged the gravity of the mistake, telling The Sun, “Look, I get the outrage. I get that this is a significant mistake,” while also criticizing what he called “faux outrage” from Sunak’s critics.
The UK was represented at the international ceremony by David Cameron, Sunak’s foreign secretary and former prime minister, who was seen alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and US President Joe Biden. Labour leader Keir Starmer was also in attendance and was filmed speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Labour was quick to condemn Sunak’s decision to skip the events, and the gaffe dominated British news coverage of the election on Friday.
Sunak’s campaign, which began with a rain-soaked speech outside Downing Street, has been plagued by questionable decisions and damaging optics, failing to close a significant poll deficit. Thursday’s D-Day error is seen as the most perplexing and detrimental moment of the campaign so far. Sunak was already facing accusations from Labour that he lied about the cost of their tax plans, a topic discussed in the ITV interview on Thursday night. The UK Treasury had contradicted Sunak’s claim in a TV debate that Labour’s plans would “put up everyone’s taxes by £2,000.” Labour, whose policy manifesto has not yet been published, asserts that its agenda is fully costed.
ITV News clarified that its team had not specifically requested an interview on Thursday and that the date was proposed by Sunak’s team, despite it coinciding with the D-Day anniversary. “Today was the slot that we were offered, we don’t know why. Obviously it’s not our choice, but he certainly returned from Normandy ready to dive back into the campaign,” said ITV’s UK Editor Paul Brand, who conducted the interview.
Labour’s Shadow Paymaster General, Jonathan Ashworth, criticized Sunak’s priorities, saying, “Yesterday’s D-Day commemorations were about remembering the bravery of all those who serve our country. In choosing to prioritize his own vanity TV appearances over our veterans, Rishi Sunak has shown what is most important to him.”
Sunak is projected to lose the July 4 election to Labour by a significant margin, with his campaign failing to make a decisive impact on opinion polls. His efforts have also been hindered by Nigel Farage, a key figure in Brexit, who announced he would lead the Reform Party’s campaign, urging right-leaning Tory supporters to abandon Sunak.
Farage also criticized Sunak’s decision, writing on X that the Prime Minister “could not even be bothered to attend the international event above Omaha Beach.” He added, “Patriotic people who love their country should not vote for him.”
