Nigel Farage was ‘deeply unfair’ to claim Rishi Sunak is not patriotic and doesn’t understand ‘our culture’, the policing minister said today.
The Reform leader was accused of ‘dog whistle politics’ for his comments yesterday about the Prime Minister’s decision to leave early from D-Day commemorations in France.
Chris Philp today became the latest senior politician to attack Mr Farage, telling LBC: ‘I think that is deeply unfair and, with respect to Nigel Farage, deeply inaccurate.
‘Everyone who knows Rishi Sunak will say he works night and day for the country – he’s backed our armed forces with 2.5 per cent GDP pledge to fund our armed forces, a pledge that Labour has not backed, and he’s done more than anybody else to back our veterans.’
Asked today what he made of Mr Farage’s remarks, Mr Sunak today told reporters on a campaign visit to West Sussex: ‘You can ask him. I can’t speak for him and what he meant by those comments.
The Reform leader was accused of ‘dog whistle politics’ for his comments to the BBC yesterday about the Prime Minister’s decision to leave D-Day commemorations early
Rishi Sunak apologised for his decision to leave early from D-Day commemorations on Thursday
‘I’m not going to get involved in that because I don’t think it’s good for our politics, or indeed our country.
‘And when it comes to the D-Day events, I spoke about that a lot last week. I absolutely didn’t mean to cause anyone any hurt or upset, and that’s why I apologised unreservedly for the mistake that I made.
‘And I just hope people can find it in their hearts to forgive me and look at my actions that I’ve taken as Prime Minister, both to support our armed forces with an increase in defence spending, but also have the minister focused on veterans affairs around the Cabinet table, making sure this is best country in the world to be a veteran.’
Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said yesterday that the Prime Minister was ‘deeply patriotic’ and had taken the criticism ‘very deeply, personally’ but there was ‘no question’ of him quitting.
As one ally said the PM was feeling ‘bruised’ by the furore, Tory sources said he would return to the forefront of the campaign, including a major BBC interview on prime-time TV tonight.
Yesterday Mr Farage tried to capitalise on the row, accusing Mr Sunak of being ‘not patriotic’.
But the Reform leader was accused of ‘dog whistle politics’ – code for subtly appealing to racist sentiments – when he suggested the Prime Minister does not care about ‘our culture’.
Mr Farage told the BBC Mr Sunak ‘should have known in his heart, that it was right to be there’.
He claimed the Tory leader ‘doesn’t really care about our history, he doesn’t really care – frankly – about our culture’.
Challenged over the comments, he insisted he had been talking about Mr Sunak’s ‘class’ rather than his heritage as the son of first-generation immigrants.
Mr Farage denied any racial element, saying that ’40 per cent of our contribution’ in the two world wars ‘came from the Commonwealth’.
He added that the PM was ‘utterly disconnected by class, by privilege, from how ordinary folk feel. He revealed that, I think spectacularly, when he left Normandy early’.
Asked today what he made of Mr Farage’s remarks, Mr Sunak today told reporters on a campaign visit to West Sussex: ‘You can ask him. I can’t speak for him and what he meant by those comments’
Chris Philp today became the latest senior politician to attack Mr Farage, telling LBC: ‘I think that is deeply unfair and, with respect to Nigel Farage, deeply inaccurate
Mr Stride said he was ‘very uncomfortable’ at the ‘ill-advised’ comments, adding: ‘I’m very proud we have a British Asian right at the top of our Government.’
Labour’s justice spokesman Shabana Mahmood accused Mr Farage of ‘dog whistle’ politics.
‘We can all see exactly what he is doing, he’s got form, it is completely unacceptable,’ she added.
‘This is a man that has a track record of seeking to divide communities who just wants to do it with a veneer of respectability.’
Mr Sunak attended D-Day commemorations in Portsmouth and Normandy, France, last week.
But he left Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron to represent Britain at an ‘international event’ attended by Emmanuel Macron, Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky and other world leaders. The Prime Minister apologised the next day, saying he ‘deeply regrets’ his decision to leave early. The backlash has deepened the gloom around the Tory campaign which has so far failed to dent Labour’s huge poll lead.
Former Cabinet minister Nadine Dorries suggested at the weekend the PM could even ‘fall on his sword’ but senior Tories dismissed this.
One said: ‘In the words of Churchill, he has got to keep buggering on – there isn’t any other option. He just needs to stop buggering up.’
Mr Sunak told The Mail On Sunday: ‘We all make mistakes. We’re all human. But I’m motivated to do what I can for this country to the best of my ability. That’s what keeps me going.’
He hopes to reboot the Conservative campaign tomorrow when he is expected to unveil the party’s manifesto and focus on the political divide over tax.
Mr Stride told Sky News that Mr Sunak will ‘absolutely’ lead the Tories into the election and denied that ‘all is lost’.
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