In a broadcast interview later on Friday, the prime minister denied the election had been a factor: “I stuck to the itinerary that had been set for me as prime minister weeks ago, before the election, fully participated.
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Sunak’s apology also came after the ITV presenter Paul Brand confirmed on News at Ten that the prime minister had returned from Normandy to speak to him. Brand said ITV was interviewing all of the party leaders and had been working to secure a date with Sunak for some time. “Today was the slot they offered us,” he said. “We don’t know why.”
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jun/07/rishi-sunak-says-sorry-for-leaving-d-day-event-early-to-record-tv-interviewSo he'd been planning to leave early all along. For no particular reason. His own party are more appalled as anyone:
One Tory activist said: “Lots of us are asking each other what’s the point, across associations. He allowed a former PM to get some pics next to Biden in his place. Why should we bother to continue campaigning, knocking on hundreds of doors when Sunak seems to be doing all he can to completely ruin our chance of losing in a way that’s just about tolerable.”
Anger has been building over Sunak allies being parachuted into safe seats, including the party chair, Richard Holden, the lack of preparation for the snap campaign within Conservative party headquarters (CCHQ) and the avoidable row over Frank Hester’s donations.
But nothing has come close to the fury within the party over the prime minister’s decision to skip part of the D-day ceremony in France, leaving the stage clear for Keir Starmer to show leadership and patriotism, as well as for Nigel Farage.
Ultimately, the choice was the prime minister’s: to come home for an ITV interview or stay to honour veterans and the fallen. However, many candidates are apoplectic with rage at the strategists who allowed such a misstep to take place, questioning the quality at the heart of the Conservative party campaign.
“The spads and clown advisers who are making these decisions will never work on so much as a Tory councillor’s campaign again in their lifetime,” said one irate Conservative source.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jun/07/d-day-was-the-final-straw-sunaks-blunders-ignite-tory-party-furyAnd the weird thing is that this is the kind of event which is a pure positive for the sitting PM. Photographed looking solemn and allied with world leaders, the chance to be seen as the country's leader on an occasion where everyone feels pride at what the country did ... it's incredible that not only did he not think "I should be there", but neither did his advisers. Or David Cameron, for that matter - didn't he ask "why am I doing this event, and not the PM?"? He certainly used to have better electoral instincts than that - well, until he called the Brexit vote, I suppose.
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