Sunak to miss international D-Day memorial event with world leaders
Rishi Sunak will miss the major international ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day but Sir Keir Starmer will mingle with world leaders at the Omaha Beach event.
The Prime Minister is attending events in Normandy including speaking at the major British ceremony, but will not be present alongside leaders including France’s Emmanuel Macron and US President Joe Biden at the international gathering.
With the General Election campaign in full swing, the Tory leader will head back to the UK – but his rival Sir Keir will be at the high-profile international event in Normandy.
A Tory source played down the diplomatic impact of the PM’s absence, pointing out he will see Mr Macron, Mr Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and other key leaders at the G7 summit in Italy next week.
The Prince of Wales and senior ministers will represent the UK at the international event, joining more than 25 heads of state and veterans for the official ceremony on Omaha Beach, Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer.
Speaking at the British Normandy Memorial ceremony on Thursday, Mr Sunak told D-Day veterans “we owe you everything”.
He said: “Each of you who contributed that day, sailor, soldier, aviator, civilian, whether you fought on the beaches, or parachuted from the skies, or flew fighters or gliders, whether you were an engineer or a radio operator or an intelligence officer, your actions freed a continent and built a better world.
“You risked everything and we owe you everything.
“We cannot possibly hope to repay that debt but we can and we must pledge never to forget.
He said veterans had “taught generations of young people about the horrors of war”, adding: “Yet with each passing year, it falls now to those of us who listened in awe to your stories to pass them on to our own children and grandchildren.
“Because only by remembering can we make certain that the cause you fought for, that so many of your friends and colleagues died for, that great cause of freedom, peace and democracy, will never be taken for granted.”
Speaking ahead of the service, Sir Keir said: “It is a privilege to stand with surviving D-Day veterans in Normandy today as we mark this historic anniversary.
“We will commemorate their courage, we will honour their fallen comrades and we will ensure that their story is never forgotten.
“Our debt to them can never repaid in full.
“But we can, and must, honour their sacrifice.
“This goes beyond party politics.
“This is about who we are as a nation.
“This is our story, our history, our identity – and our future together.”
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