The prime minister, who was returning from France to the UK to record a TV interview that will air next week, came under fire on Thursday for missing the 80th anniversary D-Day event.
His schedule was conspicuously empty of the International Ceremony on Omaha Beach at 3:30 pm, which was supposed to be attended by officials, veterans, and twenty-five heads of state. He was last seen making a speech in the middle of the morning.
On Friday morning, Mr. Sunak expressed regret on social media, stating that his decision to leave had been a mistake.
Then, as the election campaign entered its third week, he came under fire from opposing political parties and was charged with betraying the country by a veteran of the D-Day invasion. He begged people not to exploit his mishap as a political weapon.
The PM denied that his original intention was to skip the event entirely in order to concentrate on his campaign.
“Having participated in all the British events with British veterans, I returned home before the international leaders event later in the day,” he stated.
“After giving it some thought, I see my error and I apologize. But considering the magnitude of the sacrifice made, I believe it’s critical that we avoid politicizing this. It is only fitting that we pay tribute to the soldiers who given so much.”
