With the legislative elections approaching in the United Kingdom, the Conservative Prime Minister did not need yet another misstep. However, he inflicted the worst on himself: a violent political storm. Thursday June 6, Rishi Sunak caused consternation in his country by preferring to go to an interview rather than staying at the commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the Landings at Omaha Beach, in Normandy. The event, organized by French President Emmanuel Macron, was held in the presence of numerous heads of state, such as the American Joe Biden or the Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelensky. Its absence was very noticeable on the official photograph, the United Kingdom having been one of the main architects of the Allied landing on the Normandy coast on June 6, 1944.
The reaction was all the stronger as the head of government returned to record an interview on ITV, which was to allow him to defend himself after being accused of lies during a debate with the leader of Labor, Keir Starmer. He accused him of wanting to increase the tax burden on households, based on disputed figures.
According to a YouGov poll, 65% of Britons found his absence “unacceptable”. For the BBC, the “power of Rishi Sunak’s gaffe” lies in “its simplicity,” because “all voters can relate to this story.” Enough to cost him a few more ballots in the ballot box.
“For a Prime Minister trailing by more than 20 points in the polls, it was considered more important to return to the forefront and campaign,” judges the center-right British daily. The Times. Whether in the political arena or in the newspapers, criticism is rife. For the British daily The Guardianlocated on the left and cited by our colleagues from International mail, this is “the biggest political error” of the campaign for the July 4 election. Same story on the side of the BBC who speaks of an “electoral error”. This Saturday June 8, the British tabloid Daily Mirror even says: “It’s done”. THE Daily Expresshim, headlines the words of the Prime Minister: “Really sorry!”
“A mistake”
Indeed, Rishi Sunak asked for forgiveness on his those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. The last thing I want is for the commemorations to be overshadowed by politics. An apparently insufficient apology in the eyes of the Scottish Prime Minister, John Swinney, who declared, this Saturday, June 8, that Rishi Sunak had “completely destroyed” his credibility following his absence on D-Day.
The head of government’s apologies for what he called an “error” conclude a week of arduous campaigning, marked by the thunderous entry into the race of anti-immigration nationalist Nigel Farage. Perhaps an additional problem for the Prime Minister who, for several weeks, has been making a series of blunders. At the end of May, he invited Welsh people to “watch Euro 2024 football”, even though Wales was not qualified for the competition… And the timing was just as bad on May 24, when Rishi Sunak visited the Titanic Quarter in Belfast when his minister, Michael Gove, had just announced that he would not stand as a Conservative MP in the next general election. Here again, the tabloids could not resist highlighting the image of a boat captain adrift.
These missteps come at a time when the final stretch of the campaign for the July 4 vote is looming, with the publication next week of the official programs of the main parties. Labour’s was recently finalized during a closed-door meeting of its leaders. Among the few elements that leaked from this document – which should confirm the refocusing of the party – Keir Starmer confirmed that it would include an objective of recognition of the Palestinian state. Less than four weeks before the renewal of the 650 deputies of the House of Commons, the victory of the Conservatives in this context would be one of the “greatest turnarounds in British political history”, estimates theEvening Standard.
Undermined by the waltz of Prime Ministers since Brexit, the crisis in the public health service and the fall in purchasing power caused by high inflation over the past two years, the Tories are also threatened by the progress of the anti-immigration party Reform UK . The latter is getting closer to the ruling party in certain polls and has gained new visibility with the entry into the campaign on Monday of its founder, the very media-oriented Nigel Farage, a major player in the victory of Brexit during the 2016 referendum. Reform UK’s success at the polls would deprive the Conservatives of valuable votes in some contested constituencies. “Rishi Sunak didn’t even bother to attend the international ceremonies at Omaha Beach, criticized Nigel Farage. Patriots who love their country should not vote for him.” It remains to be seen what the British will do.