British Prime Minister
D-Day commemoration left early: Sunak apologizes
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty. Photo
© Ludovic Marin/AFP/AP/dpa
France commemorated the landing of Allied soldiers 80 years ago. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak left the celebrations early – and was criticized for this in his home country.
The previous day, the landing of Allied soldiers 80 years ago had been commemorated in Normandy. Sunak had attended a British event, but skipped an international commemoration event with US President Joe Biden. Instead, he had travelled back and recorded a television interview during the election campaign.
“This is an absolute breach of duty”
Opposition politicians sharply criticized Sunak. “One of the greatest privileges of the office of Prime Minister is to honor those who have served, but Rishi Sunak has left them on the beaches of Normandy,” accused Ed Davey of the Liberal Democrats. “This is an absolute dereliction of duty and shows why this Conservative government must go.” Britain will elect a new parliament on July 4.
Political commentators noted that Sunak’s decision had left the field to his opponent Keir Starmer, who attended the international commemoration and whose Labour Party has long been ahead in polls.
In his apology, Sunak wrote that the D-Day commemoration was an important moment to honour the brave men and women who risked their lives to defend freedom and democracy. “The last thing I want is for the commemorations to be overshadowed by politics,” his post said.
Telegraph report Sunak’s X-Post Davey’s X-Post BBC report Times report