‘Was He Just Not Bothered?’: Trevor Phillips Slams Sunak Over D-Day Snub In Angry Clash With Mel Stride

Mel Stride clashed with Trevor Phillips this morning after the Sky News presenter asked whether Rishi Sunak left last week’s D-Day commemoration early because he was “just not bothered” about those who died on the beaches at Normandy.

The prime minister’s election campaign has been turned upside down by his decision to return to London rather than attend an event alongside other world leaders on Thursday afternoon.

Instead, foreign secretary David Cameron was left to represent the UK alongside US president Joe Biden, German chancellor Olaf Scholz and French president Emmanuel Macron.

Phillips told Stride the controversy “just makes the country embarrassed”.

He said: “The reason this has become such a big deal is this – the prime minister is never slow to boast about his facility with numbers.

“In the battle of Normandy, the Americans lost 29,000 soldiers, the Canadians 5,000, the French 12,000. We won’t even talk about what happened to the Germans.

“Did the prime minister not know those numbers, or did he just not care? That’s the question.”

As Stride tried to avoid the question, Phillips asked: “Was he just not bothered?”

The minister replied: “No, absolutely not. Look at Rishi Sunak’s record …”

But Phillips interrupted: “No, look at what he did on Thursday.”

Stride hit back: “You’ve got to give me a chance to answer your question.”

But Phillips told him: “You’re not answering my question.”

The minister replied: “I haven’t had a chance to, actually. When it comes to what happened, he has made an unequivocal apology. I know he will be feeling this very deeply, and let me just talk about his record and how he stands up for this country.”

David Cameron took Sunak's place on Thursday afternoon.
David Cameron took Sunak’s place on Thursday afternoon.

LUDOVIC MARIN via Getty Images

Phillips then hit back: “You’ve said that twice already, and the question I’m asking you is look at that picture as 60 million Britons do, and ask yourself the question that they are asking. Did he understand the weight of this event or did he not care enough?”

Stride insisted “this man cares very deeply about our country and I know that because I know him well.”

Meanwhile, the minister also had to insist that Sunak will not resign before election day on July 4.

Phillips asked him: “Would it not be a courageous and moral act for him to announce that he knows he is leading his party to defeat, partly because of his own actions and his own shortcomings, and that he will not step aside to save seats which won’t be saved if he stays for the next four weeks?

“Is he going to lead you into this election?”

Stride replied: “Absolutely, and there should be no question of anything other than that because what matters now is there’s a clear choice for the British people.”

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Nigel Farage On The Rack Over Claim Rishi Sunak ‘Doesn’t Understand Our Culture’

Nigel Farage was left squirming this morning over his claim that Rishi Sunak “doesn’t understand our history and our culture”.

The Reform UK leader made the comment after the prime minister left the D-Day commemoration early.

But on BBC1 this morning, Laura Kuenssberg said viewers “might imagine that you are trying, not very subtly, to emphasise the prime minister’s immigrant heritage”.

Farage insisted he was referring to the PM’s “class and privilege”.

But work and pensions secretary Mel Stride said Farage’s remarks were “deeply regrettable”.

In their interview, Kuenssberg told Farage: “I want to ask you about the prime minister’s early exit from the D-Day commemoration this week.

“After that, you said that he wasn’t patriotic and you said that Rishi Sunak didn’t understand our history and our culture’. What did you mean by that?”

Farage replied: “Absolutely right. He should have known in his heart that it was right to be there. I was there, I’ve been raising money for some weeks to send veterans back to Normandy.

“The vast majority of people in Britain felt this commemoration was important, and the last opportunity to honour those remnants that are still alive.

“By the way, I know what your question is leading at. Forty per cent of our contribution in World War One and World War Two came from the Commonwelath. He is utterly disconnected by class, by privilege, from how the ordinary folk in this country feel.

“He revealed that, I think spectacularly, when he left Normandy early.”

Laura: “But Mr Farage, when you say ‘our culture’, I think many of our viewers might imagine that you are trying, not very subtly, to emphasise the prime minister’s immigrant heritage.”

Farage replied: “I just made the point, 40% of our contribution in two wars came from the Commonwealth. Clearly, Mr Sunak doesn’t understand that.”

Asked what he thought about Farage’s comments, work and pensions secretary Mel Stride said: “I think they were deeply regrettable comments. I’m not entirely sure he addressed the question you put to him as to what he meant by that.”

He added: “It just seems to be to be an ill-advised thing to have said. I feel very uncomfortable with that.”

Shadow justice secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “This is a classic Nigel Farage trick – lean in just enough to signal a bit of a dog whistle and then lean back and sound perfectly reasonable and say some thing good about the contribution Commonwealth soldiers and ethnic minorities made towards the war effort.

“We can all see exactly what Nigel Farage is doing, he’s got form, it’s completely unacceptable. This is a man who has a track record of seeking to divide communities.”

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Tory Minister Forced To Deny That Rishi Sunak Will Quit Before July 4

A Tory minister has been forced to deny that Rishi Sunak will resign before the general election amid the row over his D-Day snub.

The prime minister is under mounting pressure following his decision to leave Normandy early during the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Allied invasion of mainland Europe during World War 2.

Sunak cancelled media interviews yesterday – a virtually unprecedented move during an election campaign – as the row continued.

That led to speculation that the PM might even quit in order to try to prevent a Conservative wipeout on July 4.

Former cabinet minister Nadine Dorries last night posted on X (formerly Twitter): “Rumours around tonight that Sunak’s about to fall on his sword.”

On Sky News this morning, work and pensions secretary was sent out to defend Sunak, despite admitting he had not spoken to him since the D-day row broke.

Presenter Trevor Phillips asked him: “Would it not be a courageous and moral act for him to announce that he knows he is leading his party to defeat, partly because of his own actions and his own shortcomings, and that he will not step aside to save seats which won’t be saved if he stays for the next four weeks?

“Is he going to lead you into this election?”

Stride replied: “Absolutely, and there should be no question of anything other than that because what matters now is there’s a clear choice for the British people.”

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‘You Didn’t Care:’ Rishi Sunak Grilled Over Decision To Leave D-Day Ceremony Early

Rishi Sunak has denied he considered skipping the D-Day commemorations entirely as he struggled during a TV interview to defend leaving Normandy early.

The prime minister apologised on Friday morning for flying back to the UK from France in order to record an election interview with ITV on Thursday.

Sunak’s decision triggered a fierce backlash, with Tory veterans minister Johnny Mercer branding it a “significant mistake”.

Speaking to broadcasters on Friday afternoon, the prime minister admitted that “on reflection” it was a “mistake” to ditch the ceremony attended by other world leaders.

And he denied reports he had even thought about not going to the event at all. “That’s simply not right,” he said.

“Having participated in all the British events with British veterans I returned home before the international leaders event later in the day. On reflection that was a mistake and I apologise.”

But Sunak also suggested those who criticised him were trying to “politicise” D-Day.

Sky News’ Sam Coates, who was conducting the interview, told the prime minister he sounded “more exasperated than apologetic”.

“These men made the ultimate sacrifice and you couldn’t even sacrifice an afternoon?” he said. “Prime minister, you didn’t care did you?”

Coates added: “Keir Starmer managed to stay for the whole event. You didn’t. What does that say about your judgment, your priorities and your character?.”

Sunak claimed the “itinerary” of the event had been set “weeks ago” before he called the election.

His absence meant David Cameron, the foreign secretary, was left to stand in for him at a high profile event with Joe Biden, Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz.

Starmer – who stayed in Normandy for the entire ceremony – said earlier Sunak would have to “answer’ for his decision. “For me, there was nowhere else I was going to be,” he said.

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Rishi Sunak Accused Of ‘Bare-Faced Lie’ For Wrongly Claiming Small Boat Crossings Are Falling

Rishi Sunak has been accused of a “bare-faced lie” for wrongly claiming the number of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats is coming down.

Sunak said: “Over the last twelve months, the number of crossings [are] down a third because the plans we’ve put in place are starting to make a difference.”

But figures released by the Home Office today show that 10,745 have made the perilous journey so far this year – up 41% on the same point last year.

Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s shadow paymaster general, said: “Another bare-faced lie from Rishi Sunak has been exposed.

“Last night, he told the British people that the number of small boat arrivals were coming down. But today, we have confirmation from the Home Office itself that small boat arrivals so far in 2024 are at a record high, running more than 40% higher than last year.

“Even worse, we now know that – when Rishi Sunak promised the British people that he would stop the boats – he was telling another lie.

“Exactly 18 months on from that day, 40,000 people have now made the crossing, while he has sat on his hands doing nothing to take on the smuggling gangs. Rishi Sunak has become a desperate liar.”

The row follows the controversy over Sunak’s claim that Labour will put up taxes by £2,000 per household if the party wins on July 4.

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Tories Accused Of Squandering £130bn Of Taxpayer Money Since The Last General Election

The Conservatives have been accused of spending £130 billion of taxpayer funds wastefully since the last general election.

According to the Best for Britain’s Scandalous Spending Tracker – which monitors suspect government spending – the government has spent more £6 billion of that total in just the last two months.

The news, first reported by The Mirror, is yet another blow for Rishi Sunak because he has been at the top of government for the majority of last four years.

He served as chancellor between February 2020 and July 2022, and has been prime minister since October 2022 – amid a cost of living crisis, no less.

Some of this wasteful spending includes the £32,000 bill the taxpayer paid to cover the legal costs after the science secretary, Michelle Donelan, wrongly accused an academic of being a Hamas sympathiser.

Liz Truss racked up a £15,000 bill for food and alcohol on a single flight to Australia when she was foreign secretary.

The government also spent £33 million on delaying the general election by two months.

Brexit checks brought in at the end of April, meanwhile, cost £4.7 billion.

Best for Britain calculated that the Tories have wasted, on average, £26 billion per year since being re-elected in 2019.

That is 30 times the estimated cost of the Liberal Democrats’ proposal to increase GP appointments, said to cost £800 million per year, and more than the total cost of the Green Party’s plan to insulate 10 million homes, said to cost £25 billion per year.

All that wasted cash from the last few years is also enough money to carry out Keir Starmer’s six key pledges more than five times.

Chief executive of Best for Britain, Naomi Smith, and founder of tactical voting website, GetVoting.org, said: “Rishi Sunak has presided over years of delinquent government spending and while his reign of egregious waste may soon be over, we cannot risk the Tories getting their hands back in the public piggy bank in five years time.

“That’s why we’re asking people to vote tactically at the next election and get it right with GetVoting.org.”

A mega-poll from Electoral Calculus and Find Out Now for GB News and the Daily Mail suggested the Tories are on track for just 66 seats next month.

The same poll suggested Labour could win a staggering 493 seats, nearly 300 more than they won at the 2019 election.

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Tories Heading For Election Wipeout As Mega Poll Predicts They Could End Up With Just 66 Seats

The Tories are heading for wipeout after a new mega poll predicted they are on course to win just 66 seats at next month’s general election.

The survey of more than 10,000 people suggests Keir Starmer is on course for power with a Commons majority of 336.

Among the big-name Tories who would lose their seats are deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden, home secretary James Cleverly and defence secretary Grant Shapps.

According to the poll, by Electoral Calculus and Find Out Now for GB News and the Daily Mail, Labour is on 46% – a staggering 27 points ahead of the Conservatives, who are on just 19%.

Converted into seats, that would leave Labour on 493 – nearly 300 more than they won at the 2019 election.

The Tories would plummet to just 66 seats, leaving them with just seven more MPs than the Lib Dems on 59.

The SNP is also on course for a bad night, dropping more than 20 seats to 26.

Electoral Calculus said: “Our figures indicate a substantial Labour landslide, with Keir Starmer gaining a majority of over 300 seats at Westminster.

“The Conservatives would have fewer than 100 seats. They would be the official opposition, but they would have less than half of the opposition MPs – 72 out of 157.”

The result would be even better than Tony Blair achieved in the New Labour landslide of 1997, when the party won 419 seats.

By contrast, the Tories would suffer their worst result since at least 1900.

Other cabinet members on course to lose their seats are potential leadership contenders Penny Mordaunt and Kemi Badenoch, as well as Claire Coutinho, Mel Stride, Gillian Keegan and Mark Harper.

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Parents Could Be Punished If Children Refuse National Service, Suggests Minister

Parents could be punished if their children refuse to sign up to the Conservative’s national service programme, a minister has suggested.

In an interview on Monday, Anne-Marie Trevelyan was asked if parents could be fined in the same way they are if their children skip school.

The Foreign Office minister did not rule it out, telling Times Radio: “I’m not going to write the detailed policy now, that’s what a royal commission programme of works will be for.

“The premise has been clear, we would bring in a National Service Act, so that would be in the same way that Labour did when educational training to 18 was brought in.

“The change in the law means that there will be a clear framework set out and we’ll look forward to seeing that roll out should we be fortunate enough to win the election.”

James Cleverly, the home secretary, yesterday said there would be “no criminal sanctions” for 18-year-olds who refused. “Nobody’s going to jail over this,” he said.

Labour has ridiculed the national service policy as nothing more than a “headline-grabbing gimmick”.

Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, dismissed it as a “teenage Dad’s Army”.

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No Jail For 18-Year-Olds Who Refuse National Service, Says James Cleverly

James Cleverly has said 18-year-olds would not be sent to jail if they refused to take part in the Conservative’s national service plan.

Rishi Sunak has announced if he wins the election he will introduce the “mandatory” new scheme.

Under the policy, every 18-year-old would have to either join the military or spend one weekend a month carrying out a community service.

Labour has ridiculed the idea as nothing more than a “headline-grabbing gimmick”.

In an interview with Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme, Cleverly defended the policy.

“We want to build a society where people mix with people outside their own communities, mix with people from different backgrounds, different religions, different income levels,” he said.

“The bulk of this is about helping build a cohesive society where people mix outside their bubble.”

Asked what the punishment would be for people who refused, the home secretary added: “There’s going to be no criminal sanctions, nobody’s going to jail over this.”

The Tories have said their national service programme will cost £2.5 billion a year by 2029/2030.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “This is another desperate £2.5 billion unfunded commitment from a Tory Party which already crashed the economy, sending mortgages rocketing, and now they’re spoiling for more.

“This is not a plan – it’s a review which could cost billions and is only needed because the Tories hollowed out the Armed Forces to their smallest size since Napoleon.

“Britain has had enough of the Conservatives, who are bankrupt of ideas, and have no plans to end 14 years of chaos. It’s time to turn the page and rebuild Britain with Labour.”

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‘He’s Lost The Plot’: Tories Turn On Sunak As They Brace For Election Massacre

It is perhaps fitting that the Conservative Party is ending this parliament just as it has spent much of the previous five years: bitterly divided.

Reactions to Rishi Sunak’s shock decision to call a snap election range from astonishment to anger to grim resignation.

“No one sees the reason for the rush and feel like he has lost the plot,” one senior Tory told HuffPost UK. “None of us are ready for this.”

Support was also far from unanimous as the prime minister told his cabinet on Wednesday afternoon that he had decided to go to the country on July 4.

But the PM’s mind was made up, despite the fact that Labour remain 20 points ahead in the opinion polls and election experts all agree that the Tories are heading for a historic defeat.

One minister said most Tory MPs are simply resigned to their fate, and hit out at his malcontented colleagues.

He said: “In the tearoom I see cheerful stoicism all round. I suppose the whingers are the ones who prefer a leadership contest to a general election.”

Another MP was happily laying bets that the Conservatives will still emerge as the largest party in the Commons.

“I’m glad the phoney war is finally over and we can get on with the election,” the MP said. “We will fight for every vote.”

A senior Tory aide summed up the schizophrenic nature of MPs’ response to Sunak opting for a summer poll.

“A week ago they all wanted it over and done with and now they are furious it hasn’t gone longer,” he said. “I strongly suspect vast majority are resigned to fate and don’t feel that strongly about it.”

The sight of a bedraggled Sunak announcing the election date in the pouring rain outside No.10 has summed up the Tory campaign so far.

That gaffe was further compounded on Friday when the PM inexplicably visited Belfast’s Titanic Quarter, thereby linking him in voters’ minds with the world’s most famous sinking ship.

Nevertheless, Tory bosses want to run a presidential campaign, urging voters to stick with the man who bankrolled the government’s response to the pandemic rather than take a risk with the untried Keir Starmer.

The problem with that approach, however, is that voters already seem to have decided that they want Sunak and the rest of his government ejected from office as soon as possible.

Chris Hopkins, political research director at pollsters Savanta, said: “The prime minister already had a mountain to climb in this election, with a massive polling deficit and Labour leading them on every policy issue.

“On top of this, Sunak himself is hugely unpopular with the public, and based on our research, so are his most senior ministers.”

Polling done by the More in Common think-tank in the wake of the election announcement, shared exclusively with HuffPost UK, shows that only 29% of voters see Sunak as an asset to his party, compared to 46% who don’t.

Jenna Cunningham, More in Common’s research and data analyst, said: “There’s no doubt that Rishi Sunak was a popular Chancellor, especially after the furlough scheme, but questions remain about the effectiveness of the current presidential campaign strategy when only three in ten voters think he is an asset to the Conservative Party.

The general feeling among senior Labour figures is one of bafflement at Sunak’s decision to call an election now rather than wait until the autumn.

“I don’t understand the logic,” one adviser to Starmer told HuffPost UK. “If he’d gone for May he could at least have masked the local election results. Summer seems to be the worst of all worlds for them.

“It could be that the economic conditions are much worse than they thought they were and Rwanda isn’t going to work as well, so he’s decided they couldn’t hang on any longer. But you can see why Tory MPs are furious about it.”

One word we are all going to be sick of hearing over the next six weeks is “change”. It was on Starmer’s lectern as he responded to the PM’s announcement and will be emblazoned on thousands of Labour posters on the run-up to polling day.

Labour want voters to think that only Keir Starmer represents "change".
Labour want voters to think that only Keir Starmer represents “change”.

Gareth Fuller – PA Images via Getty Images

“It’s very important that voters know that the only way to end the chaos of the last 14 years is to vote Labour,” said one party stretegist.

“The fact that the Tory campaign has so far been so chaotic – his ludicrous speech in the pouring rain and their MPs all saying he shouldn’t be doing it – just helps us to reinforce that message.”

At the moment, Labour’s main opponent seems to be complacency.

“We’re going to fight this campaign as if it’s still neck and neck,” said one insider. “We will be fighting to win day by day, week by week

“We need to fight as if the polls don’t exist.”

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