Rishi Sunak denies he considered missing D-day events entirely as he reiterates apology – UK general election live

Here is the video clip of Rishi Sunak’s on camera explanation of leaving the 80th anniversary D-day commemorations early.

And on that note, that is it from me, Martin Belam. I am also going to skip out early, and hand you on to Andrew Sparrow for the rest of the day.

Here are some more pictures from the campaign trail today …

Regular readers will know that I am an absolute sucker for pictures of unusual transport, so I couldn’t help but notice this beauty from Conservative candidate for Swindon South, Robert Buckland.

Senior figures in the Conservative party have been defending Rishi Sunak over his decision to leave France yesterday before the 80th anniversary D-day commemorations had finished.

Foreign secretary David Cameron, who did attend the international leader’s event, said:

I think it is a tribute to the way he is that he thought on reflection he wished he had stayed in France and instead of digging in and defending himself he just came straight out and said on reflection I wish I had stayed longer.

But to be fair, he was at the Portsmouth event with all the veterans., gave a brilliant speech, he was at the British event at our brand new built commemorative centre above Gold Beach in Normandy where he was with the veterans, gave a fantastic speech.

He always represents our country very well abroad and he had a longstanding plan to return after that and we are in the middle of an election campaign so that is not surprising.

Sunak had earlier suggested the intinerary was set before the election was called.

Veterans minister Johnny Mercer has also weighed in again. In a social media message reposted by business secretary Kemi Badenoch, he said “Everyone who actually knows Rishi knows how this moment is not reflective on his views on veterans.”

Sunak told Sky News “people can judge me by my actions when it comes to supporting the armed forces.”

Adm Lord West, the former head of the Royal Navy, was less impressed. He told the BBC World at One “I’d have thought he’d have been desperate to be involved in such a major, major event of such significance to so many millions of people across the UK. I find it very strange that he should do such an own goal, I mean it comes across so badly.”

Cameron ultimately took Sunak’s place in the photographs of the world leader lineup. The Liberal Democrats have portrayed the image as showing Sunak in a “dereliction of duty”.

John Swinney has said he is “disgusted” by what appears to have been Conservative leader in Scotland Douglas Ross’s last minute decision to bump David Duguid from running in Aberdeenshire North and Moray East seat and run himself.

PA report Swinney told reporters:

What has happened there is the most despicable way to treat somebody who is facing illness. For Douglas Ross to essentially require the removal of David Duguid, who was perfectly prepared to stand for election, just to create a new pathway for Douglas Ross to have a new opportunity, is a new low for even Douglas Ross. I am disgusted by it, horrified by it, I think it is no way to treat another human being.

Swinney said the SNP’s chances of winning the seat are now “a great deal better” because of Ross’s decision.

Sky News have been showing a clip of an interview with a 98-year-old veteran in Normandy today about yesterday’s events. Ken Hay told viewers “What can you say? They are politicians. They are politicians”.

Asked about Sunak leaving early when Biden, Macron and Scholz all stayed, he observed that Rishi Sunak had departed because “he’s electioneering”.

Hay continued:

I think he let’s the country down, you know. It’s not representation of how we’re trying to weld things together to keep the peace. Blimey it’s bad enough with what Putin’s doing. And the Chinese possibly doing it, not necessarily in warfare but in other forms. What are we doing? We bail out. Let them get on with it. Because I want to stand in the election. I want my seat back.

DUP leader Gavin Robinson has said that Rishi Sunak’s decision to leave D-day commemoration events early yesterday was “inexplicable”, while also taking the opportunity to criticise Sinn Féin first minister Michelle O’Neill for not attending.

In a statement, Robinson said:

The debt we owe to those men who led the D-day landings is immeasurable. Rishi Sunak returned to the UK to participate in a democratic election campaign which is only possible because of the sacrifices on D-day. His decision to leave early is inexplicable.

There were veterans, aged over one hundred or in their late nineties, who travelled to remember their friends and comrades on the Normandy beaches. Despite their frailty, they stayed to the end.

I am glad our deputy first minister Emma Little-Pengelly was in Normandy this week to represent Northern Ireland alongside the first ministers of Scotland and Wales.

With men from across the island being remembered, I am disappointed that the deputy first minister was alone in Normandy and the other half of the joint office was absent.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has spoken to Sky News about the row over Rishi Sunak’s early departure from D-day commemoration events in Normandy, saying Sunak was not “a patriotic leader of the Conservative party.”

He told viewers:

This was the last time ever there’ll be a gathering of veterans on parade in Normandy, and if he’s not prepared to go to the international commemoration with the heads of so many different countries, overlooking a beach [on] which our American allies lost thousands of men, that says a lot about him.

He is completely disconnected from the centre of this country and he’s proved to me that he basically is not a patriotic leader of the Conservative party.

Farage was in Normandy himself yesterday, “in a personal capacity” he posted to social media. In another message earlier today Farage said “I was honoured to help raise £100,000 for the Taxi charity to send veterans back to Normandy. It was a pleasure to meet them at the various events. Rishi Sunak could not even be bothered to attend the international event above Omaha Beach. Who really believes in our people, him or me?”

I mentioned earlier that the BBC have announced dates for interview programmes with party leaders being asked questioned by Nick Robinson [See 10.18 BST]. Keir Starmer was not yet on the list. My colleague Peter Walker has been told by Labour that this is a scheduling question at the moment, rather than any indication that Starmer would not participate.

David Lammy was heckled by a protester demanding Labour commit to a green new deal while entering a pivotal meeting to finalise the party’s manifesto policies.

Kate Anderson, 26, who confronted David Lammy, said: “For young people like me up and down the country, it feels like the Labour party is throwing our future away. They promised to invest £28bn to tackle the climate crisis, then U-turned. They promised to scrap tuition fees, then U-turned. They promised to tax the super-wealthy to invest into our crumbling public services, then U-turned on that too.”

She added that people were voting for the party “through gritted teeth”.

“I’m not a Labour member because I’ve never felt inspired to join the Labour party,” she said, adding she had voted for the party under Jeremy Corbyn in 2019.

Most of the senior Labour figures and union officials entering the central London venture were tight lipped. Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite, told reporters she was “hopeful”.

The Guardian reported yesterday that the manifesto is expected to include a pledge to recognise Palestine before the end of any peace process, in an effort to shore up the party’s flagging support on the left. Other policies under consideration include the lowering of retirement ages for ambulance drivers and a pledge to recruit more teachers.

Labour press officers said all major attendees were now in the building. The meeting is set to last well into afternoon.

My colleague Jessica Elgot suggests that Rishi Sunak’s line that yesterday’s itinerary was set out weeks ago makes Sunak’s decision not to attend the international leader portion of events in Normandy yesterday “even more incomprehensible”.

There doesn’t appear to be any way of looking at this except as a terrible day for Sunak’s campaign. The decision to leave David Cameron alongside Macron, Scholz and Biden would have been terrible optics for the prime minister even outside an election campaign.

It is an entirely self-inflicted situation which Sunak now says “on reflection” was a mistake, and that it should not be politicised. In a campaign where the Tories are being pushed from the right by the Reform UK, and in which the Tories seems to be setting out their stall to shore up their vote with the older Leave-voting demographic, to appear to have snubbed veterans seems like one of the worst moves you could make.

And then being questioned about it by the media saw Sunak at one point be asked “you seem more exasperated than apologetic” as he stuck to pre-prepared lines and appeared at his most tetchy about having to engage with criticism.

Our environment reporter Helena Horton has an analysis piece today asking who are the wealthy climate sceptics funding rightwing UK politics. You can read it here:

The Scottish Greens will field a record 44 candidates at the general election as the party accused opponents of trying to sweep the climate emergency “under the rug”, PA reports.

Co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater confirmed the party has surpassed its previous 2015 record of 31 candidates. 19 Greens were on ballot papers in 2019.

Slater told PA:

Of course, first-past-the-post voting such as we have at Westminster isn’t very democratic and it’s quite difficult for small parties to actually win seats.

This is a really good opportunity for us to get out there, get the Scottish Green message heard, and as standing as candidates we make sure that the climate emergency is mentioned at every opportunity. We won’t let other parties sweep it under the rug.

Slater said the record number of candidates was a “significant indication of our growth as a party”.

Rishi Sunak told broadcasters “I also don’t think it’s right to be political in the midst of D-day commemorations. The focus should rightly be on the veterans and their service and sacrifice for our country.”

He also went on to say he wanted the government to “build on our record of making sure that this is the best country in the world for veterans.”

During his interview, it was put to Rishi Sunak on Sky News “you sound more exasperated than apologetic,” and he was told that one of the veterans who had attended the event had said Sunak “let the country down”.

Sunak replied back with his prepared line: “I participated in events both in Portsmouth and in France over two days.”

In fact during the six minute exchange he repeated words along the lines of “the itinerary for these events was sent weeks ago before the general election campaign. I participated in events both in Portsmouth and in France and having fully participated in all the British events with British veterans” four times.

Asked directly by the media “Did you or anyone around you ever consider skipping the events” in Normandy.

Sunak said “That’s simply not right. The itinerary for these events was set weeks ago, before the general election campaign.”

He told Sky News “I stuck to the intinerary.”

Rishi Sunak has said that D-day commemoration events should not be “politicised” after he faced a barrage of criticism for leaving the 80th anniversary commemorations in Normandy yesterday.

Speaking to broadcasters while out campaigning in the south-west of England he said:

The itinerary for these events was set weeks ago before the start of the general election campaign, and having participated in all the British events with British veterans, I returned home before the international leaders event later in the day. On reflection, that was a mistake and I apologise.

I think it’s important though, given the enormity of the sacrifice made, that we don’t politicise this. The focus should rightly be on the veterans who gave so much.

I had the honour and privilege of speaking to many of them and their families, hearing their stories, expressing my gratitude, personally to them.

But I’m someone who will always admit when I’ve made a mistake and that’s what you’ll always get from me.

A Downing Street spokesperson earlier denied reports that Sunak had not been intending to attend at all, saying “The prime minister was always scheduled to attend D-day commemorations, including the UK national commemoration event in Normandy, and it is incorrect to suggest otherwise.”

Sunak himself also denied the reports.