British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak apologized Friday for leaving D-Day commemorations in France early to fly home for an election campaign television interview.
Sunak said that, “on reflection” the decision — which has drawn wide political condemnation — was a mistake.
Sunak was not alongside leaders including U.S. President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the major memorial event at Omaha Beach in Normandy on Thursday. Former Prime Minister David Cameron, who is now foreign minister, represented the U.K.
Earlier in the day, Sunak had attended a ceremony at the British memorial in Normandy alongside King Charles III and surviving World War II veterans. He also attended a commemoration in Portsmouth, England, the day before.
Sunak wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the 80th anniversary of the Allied invasion that helped free Europe from the Nazis “should be about those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. The last thing I want is for the commemorations to be overshadowed by politics.”
