Bolton candidates have shared their disappointment after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak skipped a major international ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, instead taking part in a TV interview for ITV News.
World leaders including US President Joe Biden gathered for the international memorial ceremony at Omaha Beach, while Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron was the senior UK minister at the event – a decision which has been widely condemned and has prompted the PM to issue an apology.
Chris Green, who is defending his Bolton West seat from challengers including Labour’s Phil Brickell, said he spent the morning of D-Day at Westhoughton Cenotaph, before spending the evening at St Bartholomew church.
The candidate agreed that it was accurate for the Lib Dem leader Ed Davey to criticise Mr Sunak for ‘abandoning’ the veterans, and for Labour’s housing spokesman to call the situation ‘embarrassing’.
He said: “I, like many other people right across the country, wanted to pay my respects to mark this occasion: the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
“I’m not surprised the Prime Minister feels somewhat ashamed that he prioritised a television interview over marking such an important occasion and respecting the veterans.
“I always think the single-most difficult thing any Prime Minister can do is to send our troops to war.
“I’m sure he’ll be reflecting on his failure to respect those people and their service.”
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Asked about the impact on the campaign, Mr Green said he would not like to see Mr Sunak go, but added: “I think the United Kingdom’s fortunate in having a constituency basis for elections, rather than a Presidential system.
“But, yes, this failure during a General Election will damage his chances of retaining his position as Prime Minister.”
ITV broadcaster Paul Brand told ITV News at Ten that the TV interview, which was filmed on Thursday afternoon, was set up with the Conservatives offering the timeslot.
In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), Mr Sunak said “On reflection, it was a mistake not to stay in France longer – and I apologise.”
The 80th anniversary of D-Day has been a profound moment to honour the brave men and women who put their lives on the line to protect our values, our freedom and our democracy.
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) June 7, 2024
This anniversary should be about those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. The last thing…
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Mr Green’s opponent, Phil Brickell, said he couldn’t understand the decision of the Prime Minister – calling the decision a “smack in the face to all of those who served”.
He said: “We have a Prime Minister who’s more interested in electioneering than paying tribute to the thousands of servicemen and women who mae the ultimate sacrifice to defend our freedom.
“I think, amidst all the talk of compulsory national service, Rishi Sunak has snubbed our veterans and doesn’t have a plan for our armed forces.
“As the son of a veteran I am deeply concerned about our national security; we have the smallest army since Napoleonic times, and we live in increasingly turbulent times.
“I am very disappointed that the Prime Minister, who is supposed to be showing leadership on behalf of this country on the international stage, has not only snubbed our veterans but also our alles.”
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said Mr Sunak’s actions had brought shame to the office of Prime Minister.
“One of the greatest privileges of the office of Prime Minister is to be there to honour those who served, yet Rishi Sunak abandoned them on the beaches of Normandy,” Sir Ed said.
“He has brought shame to that office and let down our country.
“I am thinking right now of all those veterans and their families he left behind and the hurt they must be feeling. It is a total dereliction of duty and shows why this Conservative Government just has to go."
The Prime Minister said “it was a mistake” not to stay in France for the international event after he had attended the earlier British ceremony in Normandy.
Mr Sunak said: “The 80th anniversary of D-Day has been a profound moment to honour the brave men and women who put their lives on the line to protect our values, our freedom and our democracy.
“This anniversary should be about those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. The last thing I want is for the commemorations to be overshadowed by politics.”
If you have a story, I cover the whole borough of Bolton. Please get in touch at jack.fifield@newsquest.co.uk.
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