Sunak leaving D Day ceremony for a TV Interview

[frankentall]

Not a good look, was it?

Conservative Home Tim Montgomerie on Newsnight.

x.com/bbcnewsnight/status/1798850494913265836?s=46&t=Uw4lJNwxFZFnX0Xs3doHYg

There's nothing to run. Parliament is prorogued. No legislation is being worked on because we're in the runup to an election. Campaigning was suspended yesterday, so Sunak had time. No excuses.

He is more "British" than most of the nation IMO as he has paid more in taxes

He is very obviously British. Anyone with a British passport is, and no one is "more" British than anyone else, regardless of the taxes they've paid. He is not less British because of his ethnicity, or because he left the D-Day commemorations.
He is a bad politician because he left though.

So you would have said the same rubbish to Boris or Starmer if they did that???

Why are you struggling to believe that people would have the same opinion if others had left. Corbyn was widely criticised for not singing the anthem at a Battle of Britain memorial service.

He is a total disgrace. Campaigning was supposedly suspended yesterday but he blatantly snubbed the ceremony in favour of giving an interview.

I think this will alienate many of his core supporters and give a boost to Reform.

Zelenskyy knows

https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1798782854265979211

He's from India - why would he care? I wouldn't - @Noonecares245

It matters because it's a huge gaffe. If he's that tone-deaf to the values of most British people then what else is he oblivious about? He painted himself as badly out of touch.

Also, India's contribution to the allied war effort was the biggest volunteer army in history (numbering in the millions). Perhaps you should get off MN and read a few history books.

Now compare Sunak's approach with that of Nigel Farage who everyone loves to hate. He attended in a private capacity, as he does every year - not just the big anniversaries, and he attended the entire event. He was seen chatting casually with many of the other attendees - because he understood the importance of it, not for reasons of vacuous PR. There are genuine reasons why he has the common touch.

I really don’t understand why he’s so shit at politics and the public perception of him, he didn’t think regardless of if he gave a shit about the reason, he didn’t want to have his photo taken with world leaders, as their equal. Instead this morning we’ve got David Cameron and Keir Starmer photos with various world leaders. Sunak has made himself look like he’s not in their club.

He knows he’s losing this election, I would have assumed he would want the legacy of being seen as a former world leader who would have unique experience and perspectives when working for various businesses in the future. Why doesn’t he want that?!

He is just so shit at political basics. Corbyn is the only other recent high level politician that seems to be equally shit at actual politics.

Insisting teenagers do national service for a year. Then refusing to give a few hours of his time to honour those who gave the most in service to their nation.

He's an absolute disgrace. There is no excuse. None at all.

The BBC did edit out Johnson laying a wreath upside down on Rememberance Sunday

I agree. It's baffling that he made this decision. Did his advisors agree, or did he go against them? I can't believe his whole team was thinking "yeah this will be fine, I'm sure no one will notice"

There might have been some excuse if he’d returned to enact prime ministerial duties. He didn’t. He returned to do an electoral media interview in which he doubled down on the lie he told 11 times in the leadership debate.

It just adds to the impression that Sunak knows he's stuffed so just doesn't care anymore. Had there not been an election called I'm sure he'd have been there as he would have understood the importance of the PM attending. He's not helping his party, though, to win what relatively few seats they're hoping for.

Johnson would have been there. He’d have got his photo taken with everyone. He’d have found some sort of “oh Boris!” Idiot stunt like tripping on a step (remember his attention seeking failure to put an umbrella up?). But he’d have understood being seen there, getting his photo taken chatting with Biden and Macron and the King etc would be worth much more than tv interviews giving standard responses.

Starmer managed to look dignified and patriotic. His chatting in a relaxed way with the other leaders makes him look like one of them (which he will be soon). Sunak gifted Starmer that, does he have no advisors at all?

Agreed.

He's not doing himself any favours, especially as its an election in less than a month!

Theres a few things you just cant not attend as leader of the country and its poor form to leave at the first opportunity like he did. It's part and parcel of the job whether he likes it or not.

To say it was a mistake is also clearly bollocks. Leaving your car unlocked is a mistake, forgetting to put your bins out is a mistake, deliberately leaving early to go for a tv interview is not a mistake.

Even if he knows he’s stuffed and doesn’t care about winning anymore, surely he’d want to cement his legacy?! This is the last D-day commemoration where it’s likely there will be living veterans in attendance. He knew this was getting a full house of the big hitters world leader wise. Honestly don’t get why he didn’t want the status of being their equal.

im actually beginning to feel sorry for him. He’s so massively out of his depth.

does he have no advisors at all?

I think they hate him. It’s been gaffe after gaffe ever since he started campaigning. It really looks like he’s trying to lose.

This post, as well as your follow ups (e.g. “understands nothing of Britain except what it can give him”) make me strongly suspect that you would never view him as British because of his heritage. I suspect no brown person could be English enough for you.

Yes it was rude and disrespectful not to turn up, (as well as politically stupid) but your approach and comments to this suggest something far uglier.

You may have been disgusted by their conduct, but it’s clear that there is no way you’d have questioned their Britishness if a white PM had done the same.

I think you’re attempting to read something that isn’t there.

A lot of people getting annoyed at my post - I'm.not the PM!!! I'm just letting you know what he thinks - and his actions demonstrated that yday. Rumours of him not wanting to attend at all - what does this tell you? I'm merely stating the obvious.

Maybe you should revise on WW2.

I agree. What an amazingly racist and ignorant post. People in this country really need to be educated about the Colonial Britain and the millions of Indians who died in WW2. I suspect many like Noonecares245 don’t give a shit though.

And I think you’re deliberately trying not to read what clearly is there and through all her posts.

You obviously don’t know the UK’s history either

I do wonder how much his own MPs must get frustrated at him.

• He leaves early
• They are all then sent out on their daily interviews/radio/tv appearences in various ways as with the line "He is busy running the country which is a pressure Keir Starmer doesn't have". Repeated enought to suggest it was suggested to them.
• Then it turns out 'running the country' included doing a recorded interview that won't be aired for several days
• Then he apologises and says it was an error of judgment, thereby undermining the 'he had more importnant matters to attend to' line

If I were a Conservative MP, I'd be about ready to walk by now.