Rishi Sunak handed gift to Reform with D-Day exit, say senior Tories

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Top members of the Conservative Party are blaming Rishi Sunak for providing a beneficial opportunity to Nigel Farage's Reform UK party. This comes after the prime minister gave an apology for having to leave the D-Day remembrance event in France earlier than planned.

According to a high-ranking member of the party, Sunak made a huge mistake by skipping an event on Omaha Beach in order to participate in a television interview for the election. The official described the situation as a complete "disaster", and predicted that this error would be advantageous for Farage.

During a BBC election debate that took place on Friday evening, Farage accused Sunak of abandoning veterans who were around 100 years old and in Normandy, whilst labeling the prime minister as a "total disgrace".

Several members of the Conservative party are worried that Reform UK might soon surpass them in public opinion surveys. This event has been referred to as a "crossover moment" and may intensify the anxiety prevalent in the Conservative party, whose representatives are anxious about the possibility of suffering a significant loss in the upcoming elections.

The Conservatives were not pleased with Sunak's behaviour, as demonstrated by Penny Mordaunt, the Leader of the House of Commons, who was representing them during the debate. Mordaunt harshly criticized Sunak for his actions.

Mordaunt expressed that the events that occurred were wholly inappropriate and the prime minister was correct in offering an apology to both the veterans and the entire nation. She emphasized that veterans deserve to feel valued and cherished.

Sunak received criticism from various political parties for choosing to leave Normandy early and conduct a one-sided interview with ITV, instead of spending time with veterans and world leaders like Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron on Thursday afternoon.

Sunak expressed regret for not spending more time in France, however, the Labour party accused him of neglecting his responsibilities. Sir Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, went as far as to claim that Sunak's actions had disgraced the position of prime minister.

Johnny Mercer, who is responsible for veterans in Sunak's team, deemed it a "big error". Some members of the Conservative party likened it to when the former Labour leader, Gordon Brown, made a tactless remark during the 2010 election campaign about a voter named Gillian Duffy, calling her a "prejudiced woman".

In the latest YouGov survey, Reform UK increased their rating to 17 points. This has put them only two points behind the Conservatives who are currently at 19 points. One of the senior Tory candidates has stated that they believe their positions in the polls will swap over in the near future.

During a trip to Wiltshire, Sunak urged his critics to refrain from "making this political," however, his request was ignored, as Conservative candidates expressed their frustration over the Prime Minister's mistake.

According to Sunak, he participated in several D-Day ceremonies in Portsmouth and Normandy. He explained that the schedule for these ceremonies had been arranged weeks ago, prior to the beginning of the election campaign.

However, he stated, "I made the error of returning home before the global leaders' gathering later that day. After contemplating, I realized my mistake and express my regrets."

The leader of the Labour party, Sir Keir Starmer, stated that Rishi Sunak will need to provide an explanation for his decision. In my opinion, there was simply one option - to attend the event, express gratitude and honor the veterans by engaging with them.

A gentleman named Jack Hemmings, who is a veteran of the Royal Air Force and is 102 years old, made a trip to Normandy. He gave an interview to the BBC and shared his opinion that Sunak had made an incorrect choice. Jack believed that the decision to prioritize an election over the memory of the many who had lost their lives was misguided.

A Conservative nominee running in a seat that has been Labour's stronghold for a long time expressed, "I cannot fathom how low the spirits are at the moment. It's a complete disaster."

Additional contenders verified that the problem was really resonating among the electorate. One Conservative candidate shared, "it comes up in conversation with almost everyone." Another candidate expressed, "This is severely damaging our campaign efforts when we talk to potential voters at their doorstep."

According to insiders who are involved in the campaign, many employees at the Conservative Headquarters are exploring future job options on LinkedIn while using their work computers. Such behavior indicates that the team's morale is remarkably low. It is worth noting that currently, the Conservative Party is losing to the Labour Party by 20 points.

In place of Sunak, Lord David Cameron, who is the British foreign secretary, attended the Omaha Beach ceremony.

Prior to the campaign gathering for Conservative party supporters in Wiltshire, Sunak declined to confirm on Friday evening whether he plans to offer a direct apology to veterans.