Rishi Sunak insists 'focus should be on the veterans’ after D-Day apology

Rishi Sunak tells ITV News West Country leaving D-Day comemmorations early in France was "a mistake".

Rishi Sunak has insisted “the focus should be on the veterans” after he apologised for leaving D-Day commemorations in France early to attend an ITV interview.

Speaking to ITV West Country on Friday, the prime minister reiterated his "itinerary was set weeks ago before the general election", denying accusations he returned to the UK to continue his campaign.

The prime minister has already faced criticism for his decision to skip the ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day, with Foreign Secretary David Cameron standing in for him.

He apologised on his X account, saying that leaving before the international memorial event was a mistake but called for his decision 'not to be politicised'.

"The plan was to attend as I did and participate fully in all the British events with British veterans and then come back to the UK before the international leaders event that happened later in the day," he told ITV West Country.

"On reflection that was a mistake which is why I've apologised and I hope the focus very much can be on the veterans and what they've done.

"I have the humbling privilege of speaking to many of them and hearing their stories and also making sure I can personally express my gratitude to them and ensure that our younger generation understands what happened in the past.

"But look when I make a mistake, I'll own up to it and apologise and that's what I did very quickly", he added.