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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Business
Reged Ahmad

‘It’s over’: what the papers say after Rishi Sunak’s D-day departure

​​Rishi Sunak Penny Mordaunt Neil Henderson Angela Rayner Daily Express
Composite of UK newspaper front pages
UK newspaper front pages are dominated by controversy over Rishi Sunak’s decision to leave D-day commemorations in France early. Composite: Financial Times/Guardian/Daily Star/Daily Mirror/Daily Express/Times

There may have been another TV general election debate – this time a seven-way debate including the Conservative party’s Penny Mordaunt and Labour’s Angela Rayner as well as other smaller parties - but many of the papers are consumed by Rishi Sunak’s D-day misstep.

The Guardian leads with “Furious Tories turn on Sunak over D-day snub”, reporting that the prime minister has “provoked fury” from the Conservative grassroots after he was forced to apologise for skipping a key part of the D-day commemorations in northern France. It’s described as “the biggest misstep yet of an already faltering election campaign”.

The Times is one of the few papers that does reference the second election debate – but it connects it to the D-day incident with “Mordaunt hits out at ‘completely wrong’ PM”. The paper says Mordaunt made the critical comments about Sunak returning early from D-day commemorations as cabinet ministers turned against the prime minister, noting that Mordaunt is seen as a future leadership contender.

The Express instead focuses on the prime ministers’ apology with the headline “Truly Sorry!” as it covers what it describes as a “contrite” Rishi Sunak and his “unreserved” apology. It adds that the apology was to “Daily Express readers” for “letting down the nation’s heroes” when he left the commemorations early.

The Mirror is not so gracious – declaring “Sunak’s D-Day shame” with “It’s over” splashed on its front page. The paper reports that a Tory minister has told it the PM’s “snub” has ended the party’s election hopes, saying: “It’s over”.

The i weekend echoes other coverage of Conservative fears over the impact this will have on the election with the headline “Tories in despair as Sunak D-day gaffe ‘destroys’ election hopes”, quoting party insiders and a senior figure. The paper does reserve some room for noting the TV debate, though, with an image of Rayner and Mordaunt on the front, reporting clashes over the much questioned Labour taxes claim.

Scotland’s Daily Record is scathing with “War Zero” as its headline. On its front page it quotes first minister John Swinney describing Sunak’s D-day departure as “a breathtakingly terrible decision”.

The FT Weekend has “Sunak accused of handing ‘gift’ to Reform by skipping D-Day event”, noting that Nigel Farage exploited the gaffe in the seven-way debate.

The Telegraph’s focus is elsewhere as it flags a Conservative stamp duty manifesto promise with “Sunak to axe stamp duty for first-time buyers”, saying that the Tories are hoping to change the election dynamic as the PM apologises for his D-day early departure.

And in the Daily Star, “Stupid Boy” is the headline with a mock-up of Sunak in a scene from Dad’s Army.

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