Sunak denies he considered resigning following D-Day debacle
Rishi Sunak said he had “of course not” considered quitting ahead of the general election, amid the continued fallout over his early departure from D-Day commemorations.
The Prime Minister vowed to carry on “until the last day of this campaign” as he sought to dampen rumours that he might resign ahead of polling day, on July 4.
Criticism of his early exit from the event marking the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings dogged Mr Sunak over the weekend, when he kept a low profile and avoided questions from reporters.
He was out campaigning in West Sussex on Monday, and said that he would not stop “fighting for the future of our country”.
‘I’m feeling energised’
Asked whether resigning had crossed his mind, Mr Sunak told broadcasters during a visit to the Dog and Bacon pub in Horsham: “No, of course not.
“I’m energised about the vision that we’re putting forward for the country.
“This campaign is not even halfway through yet, and I’m finding enormous amount of support for the policies that we’re putting on the table.”
On the rumours, he also told reporters on the campaign trail: “People are gonna say what they’re gonna say.
“There are lots of people who want to write me off, write this off, say this campaign or the election is a foregone conclusion.
“They’ve been saying that, by the way, ever since I’ve got this job, right? Not since this election campaign.”
Mr Sunak added: “The reality is I’m not going to stop going, I’m not going to stop fighting for people’s votes, I’m not going to stop fighting for the future of our country.”
The Prime Minister also struck a renewed conciliatory tone over his D-Day departure, telling reporters he “absolutely didn’t mean to cause anyone any hurt or upset” and that he hoped veterans would forgive him.
He said: “The last thing I wanted to do was to cause anyone any hurt or upset, which is why I apologised unreservedly for the mistake that I made.
“And I just hope that veterans and others can find it in their hearts to forgive me for that, and also consider my record when it comes to supporting our Armed Forces with a historic increase in investment.”
Chris Philp, a Home Office minister and Sunak ally, earlier conceded that he was “surprised and disappointed” by the Prime Minister’s early D-Day exit.
But he insisted Mr Sunak would be back “bouncing around the campaign trail this week” and will be “talking to journalists whenever they want to ask him some questions”.
