John Healey, Labour’s Shadow Defence Secretary, in a letter to Conservative Defence Secretary, Grant Shapps, said:
“Dear Grant,
Britain and our allies came together to commemorate the events of D-Day. As one, we paid our respects to the brave Allied forces who gave their lives for our freedom.
The Prime Minister’s decision not to attend the events in Normandy yesterday – apparently in favour of recording a TV interview – raise worrying questions about both his judgement and his priorities.
As Secretary of State for Defence, I know you will share those concerns. Accordingly, I believe the public are entitled to answers on several key questions:
- When was the decision made for the Prime Minister to skip yesterday’s D-Day commemoration?
- Did the Prime Minister himself suggest that this was not the best use of his time? If not the Prime Minister, who did?
- Did he record the television interview with ITV while D-Day events were still going on in Normandy?
- Reports in the media attributed to Conservative Campaign Headquarters on Wednesday morning claimed the Prime Minister was “giving the next two days over to D-Day out of respect”. Did they know this to be untrue at the time? If not, when was the decision made to cut short the Prime Minister’s attendance at the D-Day ceremonies?
- The French government are reported to have said they were told a week ago that the Prime Minister would not attend the D-Day 80th commemoration. Is this true?
- Do you believe that the Prime Minister apologising in a social media post is sufficient? Will you encourage the Prime Minister to make a further, fuller statement of apology?
- Given that the Prime Minister has been campaigning on the idea young people should complete a year’s national service, what does it say that he appears to have been unable to complete a single afternoon of it?
There are many people across the country, especially within Armed Forces communities, who feel betrayed and feel that Britain has been let down by the Prime Minister. The public deserve clear explanations from the Prime Minister and those around him about why this dreadful decision was made. I trust that these are the questions you are asking, and you will respond as soon as possible.
Given the clear national interest and concern over this matter, I will be making this letter public.
Regards,
John Healey
Shadow Defence Secretary”
I have to pinch myself. This is the first time I agree with Healey on something that’s not hollow political blame games given his, and Labour’s, own record.
A colossal own goal, one that will ultimately in part define his tenure at No.10.
Do these fools really think that the general public don’t care about this? As for his limp weasely apology, buggers belief that he thinks it’s enough!
‘Beggers belief’
Oops😉
Weasley Buggers are probably the right words
You were right the first time.
It actually makes it worse!!! That “itinerary had been planned for weeks and it was always planned hed leave early”
Neither him or the cretins who advise him noticed an issue with that.
It still surprises me given their love of grandstanding, missing a photo opportunity with other leaders.
Incredible that he essentially allowed Starmer to step up as acting PM on the world stage for an afternoon
Yes. Grandstanding or not, if he can not see that he needs to be there with leaders of allied nations to also respect US vets who bled on Omaha beach then, well, they’re on a different planet.
When he got “elected” I didn’t see it ending well. He’s s millionaire with an even richer wife and totally disconnected with voters of all classes.
I cannot see Boris Johnson doing that, but they all insisted on getting rid of him too.
And so the Tory party collapses, to be replaced by Labour.
I think the key issue is that Sunak is essentially not one of the Westminster elites..he is part of the global elite, one of the so-called “sovereign individual” class who essentially are beyond states. His household wealth is £650 million and it increases by 122million last year… his wider family wealth is in the multiple billions…before he became a minister he was a non dom and the moment he was elected in 2015 he had a job in the executive and was a minister within 3 years. I am not sure the global elite ( essentially the club of billionaires… Read more »
And the Tories still chose him rather than someone infinitely more palatable to the public, Penny M. What were they thinking.
Honestly I’ve no idea…in the end for some reason Mordant pulled out..I suspect it was because she could not get
the 100 MPs to back her because the parliamentary Conservative Party did not want to go through another round of voting by the party members and Simply picked the wrong person because he came second place in the previous race.
Penny M does not know the difference between a man and a woman. She exaggerated her service record. Her sole talent is holding a sword and maybe making cups of tea whilst more serious people do the real business. Look at her pound shop Thatcher hair do in the debate, awful woman….truly awful and delusional as well However, Robert Jenrick should be the next Tory leader unless Farage gets that job first.
The Non-Parliamentary membership didn’t choose him, that’s the point.
There was a large portion of the MP’s that are Globalists and Remainer elites who are not in line with the general membership. Been like that for 20 years.
Johnson was the choice of the general membership and was deposed by the elites after partygate.
What a mess and looking more existential as time goes by.
If so then Rishi had nothing to lose.
Keir looked like a fish out of water to me.
Totally agree that Boris would not have messed this up but they all stabbed Boris in the back didn’t they.
People’s reactions on here are interesting. The Tories are finally agreeing to increase the defence buget yet many here are going to put their X against Labour candidates many of which would be quite happy to see the defence budget in it’s entirety shifted elsewhere. That should give everyone something to complain about.😀
Yes, that was my point regards Johnson, careful what you wish for.
TBH the Tories have needed to go for about 10 years at this point.
I think 10 years is stretching it somewhat – don’t forget the Torys had a massive GE vistory under Johnson
however I agree since/during his tenure it was obvious they were starting to lose the plot – culminating in the situation we now find ourselves in.
Agreed.
I think clearly the Tories are going to get a pounding at the next GE. My personal thoughts are that in giving Labour a huge majority we will be in the same boat as when Tony Blair and then Boris were given huge majorities government’s think they can do what they like and generally do as there is no effective opposition. Much better if it’s close then governments are more held to account.
I hadn’t forgotten, frankly Boris was not fit for purpose and shouldn’t have been in office, and the only reason I’m okay with him being there is that Corbyn was worse.
Labour should have had an effective candidate and gotten them out of office.
He is shallow, disrespectful and largely ignorant of history, especially military. I remember him a few years back when being asked about Russian bomber flights towards the UK and the RAF QRA, he spoke about how ” …..we have this thing called the Typhoon aircraft….” . It was obvious that he had not one clue about what he was talking about and was just repeating a soundbite. This is just more of the same. It’s appalling.
Not making excuses but in his defence Sunak’s talents as a creative and pragmatic finance wizard were what the country needed to navigate covid and agree the Windsor Accord. But he is not a leader or a soldier. He is a second generation immigrant from the ‘empire’ who has benefitted from a privileged and exclusive education. Its hardly surprising he hasn’t acquired the instinctive feeling of belonging ( to the UK and the WW2 allies) that would have told him where he needed to be on June 6th.
I can’t see any creativity or financial wizardry in adding huge sums to the national debt. Anyone can spend money especially when they seemingly have a blank cheque. Eat out to help out just added to the debt and spread the virus whilst Schools remained shut. He also presided over an over generous furlough scheme that has increased an entitlement culture which has gripped the country.
Well, I’m not going to argue his performance. Suffice it to say that chancellor was his best position.
The Unemployment rate would have been monumental without the furlough scheme. Its very easy to criticise when none of us have felt the weight of that kind of responsibility that affects millions of people.
I said it was over generous and just added to our huge national debt. What with the wasted money on PPE I am afraid there was no financial wizardry from Sunak and mores the pity.
All I can recall is his early emphasis on the vulnerability of the CNI undersea cables.
What financial wizardry? The only thing Sunak has been interested in is making sure his buddies get dividends. For the rest of us he’s done f all.
He means Furlough & the other support packages without which most companies and banks would have collapsed leaving employees without work and pensioners without incomes. If Rishi was simply intersted in himself why would he bother with PM – he already has plenty of money..
I didn’t say anything about himself did I? I said it’s about lining the pockets of his friends, which he has been singularly effective at doing, and not much else.
OK, conservative wizardry.
Good point Paul.
If the polls are to be believed we are seeing a political realignment. The mood of the nation ( England) has changed. What looks like the decimation of the Conservative party could equally be interpreted as a sort of cleansing. Labour is the antibiotic. Reform is the anger and resentment pus coming out of the abcess. Ditto for Scotland where the SNP is being purged of its bile. ‘All the world’s a stage. And all the men a women merely players.,’ As You Like it’. Sunak has walk on part 🙂
Interesting idea although I am having difficulty with the vision of Labour as an antibiotic 😂 I am perhaps wondering if in this age of social media etc. the electorate is beginning to believe they can simply run the country better than the politicians themselves whilst miraculously still earning and living and bringing up their families. People believe they can sort out the middle east crisis by reading the riot act to israel or solve the immigration issue by sinking the boats or something. Everyone has a view nowadays and nobody thinks that if it were that easy some Government… Read more »
Well, yes social media means ideas can spread fast…and ‘infect’ others. So governments no longer control the way opinion is formed in the way that they once did. The Tory press wields less influence…remember …if you tell a lie often enough people will come to believe it 🙂 The good news is that individuals bombarded by different views on all sides can develop the art of discernment if they are prepared to suspend their prejudices – the undecided voter. As regards the bigger picture here are two thoughts. Firstly, to quote CJ, I didn’t get where I am today without… Read more »
I agree with you. I’m not knocking him from being from a second generation immigrant family but it does mean it makes it harder to understand how strongly people who had family as Combatants or were Blitzed in WW2 feel about Britain’s part in it all, Remembrance and history in general.
I have been passing this on as best and as constructively I can to the current generation.
It also makes no sense. If he stuck to an itinerary concocted many, many weeks ago before an election announcement, then there would not have been an appointment scheduled with ITN to discuss the election! – so he surely would have gone to the Omaha Beach event.
Yes, so the excuses are yet more cobblers. They are digging themselves into a hole just as B Johnson did excusing and denying rather than just holding up hands and paying the price.
That is what stunned me, I understand he doesn’t give a stuff about the average person but surely his advisors must have thought it though and recommended against it. It’s not like he had a leave for an emergency it was just a scheduling overlap for a stupid video interview.
Unsure of the validity if it, but saw a Tweet naming and showing his 2 closest advisors. Both look like a pair of stuck up posh boys as equally out of touch with working and middle class families as he is.
Conservatives have high double digits millions for their campaign, it is beyond believe that they appear to be unable to employ decent advisors. I get one might have missed the pot hole but there must be dozens of them.
Another massive gaff mate….
I’m sure Sunak is quietly glad he can hand the front door keys and the cat food to Starmer in a few weeks…..
I’ll bet he will just be happy to drive away and be done with it all…..
But it’s given us some great memes.
💡The lights are dimming, my friend.
I know mate. It’s what’s next that worries us.
The lessor of evils?
Well. I cannot vote for either as it stands.
I’ve never voted Labour and while that far left 5th column exists within it that promotes open borders, wants rid of our deterrent and would make previous cuts look like a fun fair ride I never will.
I’ve nowhere to go but either Reform or spoil my ballot.
What I agree on with others is that, after 14 years, a change is needed and the current lot are a shambles.
Whether the new lot are any better, I doubt it!
I’d like a 3rd, centrist party, not too right, or left, but with bits of both. That I can accept, as I think most voters are that way inclined.
We had a recent by-election here and the strategy thousands of conservative voters used was not to come out and vote and the result was Labour got in. That was not their objective but that’s what happened. Those that voted Reform felt they wasted their vote and the person elected had views which were totally opposite to their own. Many (traditional) Tory voters are trying to punish the party. In reality they might wipe the party out completely. Parties evolve & leaderships change. Labour under Blair changed (although it has now reverted back to a point I haven’t seen it… Read more »
I don’t mind Sunak. But this was a massive own goal. I’d have Penny Mordaunt as PM.
Agree mate. I wanted her after BJ.
But, I’m not a member. Dark forces were briefing the press that she wasn’t on top of her brief in her previous roles.
Bit rich considering what Sunak has done.
I could definitely see her as the next leader of the Conservative party if they lose the election. Which is looking likely bar a miracle turn around over the next 4 weeks. I still think the result will be closer than many think though.
Well she certainly threw Sunak under the bus in the debate last night! Mind you she didn’t come across to well mind.
A female who couldn’t define what a woman is ? No thank you.
The current crop of Tory leaders need to be binned and the party need to sort out there selection process because evidently it doesn’t work after 14 years and 5 PMs who were not up to the job.
Ben Wallace would have been a better character and sometimes that is more important than a high flying talker.
Personally I would go with Jeremy Hunt..he’s what I would call competent and cares..he stuck to his guns on a lot of things in the nhs that needed doing and made him a very unpopular with Drs because he though things needed changing ( I did once call him the devil himself in a meeting when he was introduced by the chair…only to realise he was sat right next to me…but face to face he was a profoundly eloquent and wise man). In my judgment he was by a long way the most competent Secretary of State for health in… Read more »
You might be right however would those war dead be impressed with a country even contemplating passing the country to a party which has candidates which supported nuclear disarmament last time around. Would they not think thay had died for nothing.
I’m not a fan of this government. But I cannot vote Labour. The left wing element still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. And as for Angela Rayner. Well. I’ll say know more.
Point taken. Lots of people probably think as you do. However everyone is snookered. To fail to vote Tory is to invite a Labour Government and the more people who fail to vote Tory the more the liklihood of a landslide Labour victory which will encourage them to do much as they please – making things worse..
Bravo.
Indeed, it’s a fair set of questions to ask…to be honest I thought his apology yesterday was a bit curt and hardy came across as being someone who was profoundly sorry for his actions…something to show that he really got the hurt and profound mistake of judgement, would be better and I think needed… Around defence I think it’s pretty interesting that the three key national parties are essentially in lockstep around defence..to the point that Penny Mordant was resorting to what seemed to be a “ you would not have the gonads to press the button” debate…which I though… Read more »
In the past Governments regardless of their politics have generally agreed on defence. Not much between them. The exceptions were 1983 and 2019 when leaders supporting nuclear disarmament were in the running. Both times they were soundly beaten. In 2024 there are many candidates who apparantly supported those views who are up for election for Labour once again. This time, if the polls are right, they might well get into power. What then? I know the public are annoyed with the Tories but I am not sure they realise what they are risking with Labour.
Individual candidates are allowed to have a different opinion from the government as are individual MPs..you many find some conservative and reform candidates who think the same way..many think the deterrent is a waste of money and they are allowed to think that…but it does not make scrapping the deterrent policy or at risk of becoming policy…no Labour government has done it before.
Absolutely. That is the whole point of electing a specific candidate for each area that everyone trusts to reflect your views. Political parties don’t really exist under the British constitution. It it only in recent times the party has been mentioned when voting.
It would be impossible for Labour to scrap the Nuclear Deterrant if they win the GE. They will have no mandate for it from the British people and they have stated that it will be retained. At the very very worst it is such a profound and fundamental step that it will need to go to a referendum.
Not impossible at all. MPs can put through whatever legislation they wish. Parliament is soveriegn and referendums really don’t have a place – they are normally advisory.
If you think about it life throws all sorts of things at a Government that were not known at the election and the Government / parliament has to respond. Wars, Covid, Financial crisis etc. etc.
Also as the Government they could simply order the deterrent to port and tie them up to rust.
I think Mr Healey has them by, as the saying goes, “the short and curlies”. Seems to be poor form of the PM and did he really have to leave early? Leave it to the 🇬🇧 public to “maul” this over.
His absence is probably one of the biggest own goals by a British politician let alone a prime minister! It really does beggar belief and shows how out of touch he is.
I am sure it has lost his party at least 250,000 votes. Be interesting to see the latest poll figures.
When the team is poor and not putting the desired level of effort the fans will at times sing “your not fit to wear the shirt” and anyone with an understanding of our history recognises the importance of the events of 1914-18 and 1939-45. The Somme, Dunkirk, Battle of Britain and D-Day, words like Blitz, Keep Calm have become part of the language. Our country was changed out of all recognition because of those events, we lost an empire, we’re bankrupted, millions were killed and wounded and the welfare state was born along with the NHS. It does not matter… Read more »
Whilst all that is true and Sunak is no kind of leader – it doesn’t make Starmer a better option!
I’ve no idea what Starner’s policies are. It worries me that he cannot communicate them.
We are probably heading for a low turn because of what you say. Who can you vote for and expect an improvement despite the very low bar.
SJB, it’s no time for a “low turn”, surely an “up turn” is required now and as you say it’ll be from a low base? The UK has a lot of very competent and hard working people making it all tick. Hope whoever governs lifts everybody up and leads the whole of the UK 🇬🇧 into greater prosperity and security.
Sorry Quentin I meant to say a low turn out. I still think the UK has some really great people but our political class are largely out of touch and it shows. Too much focus on ethnicity, gender and sexuality in selection whilst they actually come from the same background with little life experience.
We just need competent people who care.
My grandmother used to say there is no such thing as can’t, there’s only won’t 😉
What Sunak did was unforgivable. He’s nothing more than an ignorant fool.
For a PM, of a significant WWII ally, it’s really poor form. I imagine a lot of veterans might even be very insulted by this. He would have got a lot more respect if he had of stayed the course, cancelled or rescheduled the interview and maybe even get some extra votes. Is he taking history and the days of freedom for granted?
He has proven time and time again he has no respect for the military. Here was one day he could have acted like a Statesman, instead he chose to tank his campaign and probably the Conservative Party as a whole.
Agree Patrick. Yes “statesman” is the word. Even President Biden turned up sounded okay and didn’t make any gaffes! The 80 years is not a birthday but a commeration and a significant rememberance. I loved seeing the old soldiers, the flypasts, the speeches. Dad survived Dunkirk and Burma so all this reminds me of him and I can give thanks , long gone now but I get a strong sense of what being “British” means and what Britain and its allies stand for and still do. Well done 🇬🇧 🇺🇸 🇫🇷 🍁 and every one else involved, even President Zelensky… Read more »
The PM goes about his job like a business executive and not a politician and the reason for that is simple, he’s a businessman. He called the election knowing it would fall at the time of the 80th, so therefore, it must have been overlooked or reviewed to take the least time away from the hustings. The hustings won.
But this huge gaffe is appalling on so many levels. First and most importantly the disrespect it shows to those that died and to the surviving veterans for whom this is all but certain to be the last big multiple-of-10 commemoration they will be alive for. Everyone is talking about that one, rightly so, and also about how it shows Sunak’s lack of political awareness and inability to understand the sentiments of a large chunk of the British populace. But there’s another aspect to this. One of Sunak’s defences is that he did stay for the whole of the British… Read more »
I should have added a ‘cold’ businessman. You are correct about the opportunities lost by not toughing flesh at the international component. Biden my have been elsewhere but he was physically present and at this point in history diplomacy should be stepped up to meet the current threats. For all of Trump’s faults he did at least meet the leaders of our potential foe. Unlike Biden who is rapidly slipping below rational consciousness at just the time the leader of the Western World needs all the faculties at his disposal.
If he was 100% sure he would lose why would he waste time on an interview?
Making connections with world leaders would have payed off far more in his future career
That’s a good point.
Lets be realistic, he doesnt want the job, he doesnt need the job, he isnt going to get into power on votes, he called the election to get out and this just shows how much he knows what is going to happen.
Id expect the poor judgement to continue.
This is the conclusion I’m coming to as well. He does need to be a bit careful though. If he carries on doing too many more things like this that make him look totally clueless and inept that’s going to start raising red flags in at least some of the big tech companies and/or finance companies when a lot of the pundits are saying that a senior position in one of those sort of companies is where Sunak will be heading next (a bit like Nick Clegg at Meta).
Rishi has severe financial backing from his wife’s side. Finances will be of virtually zero concern to him, Clegg whilst wealthy wasnt at a level Rishi is, he may well have retirement planned or a job within his wifes empire, regardless image might not do him any harm!
Having a big money background hasn’t brought leadership the country wants and expects and one with empathy. Maybe he’s bedazzled by all his millions!?
Julian. Sunak is not clegg he’s not heading off to be an employee of any company…his household wealth is 650 million, him and his wife’s wealth went up by 122million last year alone…his wider family is worth billions…he’s one of the global elite.
Sunak is as much use as an empty ball sack. He has no respect or empathy with any remotely normal person outside of his privileged born into money cabal. Roll on the day he leaves number 10 and flies off to California hopefully to be never seen again.
What puzzles me is why did none of Sunak’s ‘advisers’ earn their keep and advise him.
Rather as I am puzzled by those who ‘advised’ Vennel in the Post Office.
Both leaders in which cluelessness seems their primary characteristic.
DMJ, that’s a very good point. His whole team is complicit and didn’t and doesn’t get it. Hope Labour and even the new conservatives will do a lot better. Carry On 🇬🇧.
Where is the fault?🙃 the adviser or the one who believes the advice makes sense.
As my grandmother used to say, advice is only for those who will take it.
👍
I don’t see what is the surprise. Rishi is a son of immigrants that arrived in 1960’s born already in 1980. They don’t have probably families there have history or have been affected by WW2 in Europe.
The farther a British citizen is from WW2 be either by time distance and cultural distance the less D-Day means.
I can very well see some Guardian columnists call John Healey very bad names if he was not Labour…and Rishi was.
India fought for and with Britain in two world wars and have the cemeteries to prove it. Despite his age there is no excuse and he and advisors have been shown to be what they are “shallow and disrespectful”. Somethings are above politics and this is one them. I don’t think he cares and he called the election early to get out. I have no political allegiance at all but it is hard to believe but in 14 years the Tory’s have had 5 attempts to find a decent PM and failed miserably. I think they need to improve there… Read more »
It is not the same.
I agree that the advisors failed. Or his choice of advisors. it would be interesting to know their ages.
A British PM should not need an advisor to tell him the significance of certain dates and anniversaries. Luckily he will be history on 5th July and forgotten unlike the memory of those from WW2.
Rightly so, pathetic behaviour
Hi folks hope all is well.
Most of what I would say has already been posted. I couldn’t believe what I heard on the media. Utterly disgraceful and disrespectful!
Cheers
George
Never voted Tory in my life, but this seems one of the smaller mistakes by Sunak & the Tories in power since 2010.
OT I see Portsmouth HMS Warrior webcamis finally repaired & back running. Supposed to have been fixed April but out throughout May. Glad to have it back online.
Look it up on You Tube.
And I’ve never voted Labour.
So you voted Corbyn last time? Or Kinnok in the 80s? Or Foot? 😀
I’m the polar opposite from you yet we clearly have the same regard for our military and our country.
Funny isn’t it.
Oh goody. Sunak is finished. Now your get Starmer. Now watch how someone who has never even been a minister and who simply follows the guy in front does. I’ve been saving for a while for a Labour day. Within a decade this country will be broke and finished. Forget about defence. The 2010 SDSR was a consequence of the last Labour government. As for this as a member of the public, I couldn’t give a toss. So he didn’t attend all of the D-Day celebrations. How many of those who attended go to VJ day? It’s just political clap… Read more »
It looks like they are actively trying to lose the election, the grauniad did an article on it lately
I’m personally less concerned about labour’s approach to defense than i am the conservatives.
My local Labour candidate recently responded to my email requesting her position on defense, she is married to a navy pilot and she’s aware of all the major issues as discussed regularly here.
Angela rayner has a brother who served.
In this case labour are the lesser of two evils in my book
I agree. I also think Labour’s proximity to the unions will actually be beneficial to defence given the huge CAPEX being undergone at Barrow and H&W which must be followed up on with big projects to keep the yards open