Rishi Sunak is in hot water for ditching a D-Day ceremony to record a reputation-saving ITV interview due to go out next week.
According to reports, the prime minister dipped out of a ceremony at Omaha beach in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer to return to the UK, leaving Lord David Cameron to fill in for him.
Paul Brand, ITV’s UK editor, said the prime minister returned from Normandy to do an interview on the channel, saying: “Today was the slot they offered us. We don’t know why.”
The decision has prompted widespread backlash, with Tim Montgomerie, the founder of the grassroots Conservative Home website, telling BBC Newsnight: “I want to put my head in my hands. If he came back for a political interview from the D-day commemorations that is indefensible.
“This is going to be the last big commemoration where survivors will be present,” he added. “I think it’s political malpractice of the highest order if Mr Sunak absented himself for an election interview on ITV.”
Chris Bryant, the Labour candidate for Rhondda and Ogmore, wrote on X: “So Sunak left the Normandy D-day landings commemoration to fly home to lie about lying. The rest is silence.”
The shadow paymaster general, Jonathan Ashworth, said: “The prime minister skipping off early from D-day commemorations to record a television interview where he once again lied through his teeth is both an embarrassment and a total dereliction of duty.
“Our country deserves so much better than out-of-touch, desperate Rishi Sunak and his chaotic Tory party.”
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