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Rishi Sunak has been heavily criticised for missing key international celebrations of the Normandy landings to give a television interview.
The Prime Minister left the commemorative events in Normandy before attending the world summit at Omaha Beach, but it was later revealed that he had appeared in an ITV interview on his return.
Labour accused Mr Sunak of “dereliction of duty” for missing the high-profile ceremony at Omaha Beach in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, which was to be attended by world leaders including US President Joe Biden.
Sunak delivered a speech paying tribute to veterans during the ceremony but returned to the UK before it finished.
Rival Sir Keir was photographed meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and attended alongside Biden, Emmanuel Macron and Prince Charles. Also attending the event were Defence Secretary Grant Shapps and Foreign Secretary David Cameron.
On Thursday night, ITV’s UK editor Paul Brand Clip shared In an interview with Rishi Sunak, he used the interview to defend his position on Sir Keir Starmer’s proposed tax reforms.
Mr Brand told ITV News at Ten: “Today was the time slot that was offered to us… I don’t know why.”
The full interview will air next Wednesday.
Conservative commentator Tim Montgomery said: BBC Newsnight“It makes you scratch your head. If he came back from the Normandy invasion anniversary for an interview, and a political interview at that, there’s no excuse. This will be the last big anniversary attended by the survivors.”
“I think this is political misconduct of the worst kind. It’s disrespectful and fundamentally wrong.”
Colonel Stuart Crawford, a Gulf War veteran, Independent Sunak “misjudged the public mood”.
“This is a solemn event and unfortunately the last major anniversary of the landings and will be attended by many of the surviving veterans,” he said.
“He should be there with the others. His absence and Starmer’s presence makes it seem as if he has already handed over the prime ministership to Sir Keir.”
Shadow Lord Budgetary Jonathan Ashworth said: “It is disgraceful and a complete dereliction of duty that the Prime Minister left the anniversary of the Normandy landings early to record a television interview in which he yet again told an outright lie.”
“Our country deserves far better than Rishi Sunak and his confused Conservative Party, who are out of touch with reality and desperate.”
Reform Party leader Nigel Farage said: “The Prime Minister has returned to the UK following an international Normandy Senatorial Campaign Day event to campaign.
“I’m here in the Normandy in a personal capacity because I think it’s important. Does he agree?”
The election campaign was largely halted as the focus shifted to the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings, with Sunak attending various commemorative events as chancellor.
Conservative sources played down the diplomatic impact of the Prime Minister’s absence in Normandy late on Thursday, noting that the Prime Minister is due to meet other G7 leaders at a summit in Italy next week.
In his interview with Ms Brand, Mr Sunak denied Labour’s accusations that it had “lied” when it said it would raise tax by £2,000 – a claim later criticised by the UK statistics watchdog.
The Prime Minister said he was “clearly very upset” after the Labour leader made a string of aggressive comments during a televised election debate earlier this week.
Mr Sunak claimed “independent Treasury officials” were costing Labour’s policies and would “lead to a £2,000 tax increase for everyone”.
But Treasury permanent secretary James Bowler said ministers had been instructed not to suggest that civil servants had produced the figures.
Asked in the interview whether the figures were based on assumptions made by Conservative advisers, the Prime Minister said: “No. The analysis and the work has been carried out by Treasury staff.”
The controversy stems from a document produced by the Conservatives which made a series of assumptions to estimate the likely costs of potential Labour policies.
The report says Labour’s plans would result in a deficit of £38.5 billion over four years – the equivalent of £2,094 for every working household – but the Conservatives insist this would be made up through tax increases.
Britain’s statistics watchdog had warned political parties during the election campaign to use the figures properly, but in a statement on Thursday suggested the Conservatives had not been clear about their calculations.
The Office for Statistics Regulation said: “Without reading the Conservative party’s costing statement in its entirety, someone hearing this assertion would have no way of knowing that this is an estimate combined over a four-year period.”
Additional reporting by the Press Association