General Election 2024: Nigel Farage defends claim Sunak’s D-Day exit was due to not understanding our culture

New Reform leader Nigel Farage has clarified comments regarding Rishi Suank’s early exit from D-Day commemoration events in France in an interview on the BBC’s flagship politics show, “Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg” earlier today (June 9 2024.)

Farage drew the ire of many after commenting that the Prime Minister demonstrated that he did not understand “our culture,” prompting calls the Reform leader was “dog whistling” anti-Islamic sentiments - a charge that he has denied.

Instead, Farage pointed out that it was not due to Sunak’s British-Asian background but rather that he comes from a background of “class” and “privilege.” 

“I know what your question is leading at – 40% of our contribution in World War One and World War Two came from the Commonwealth,” he began in his explanation to Kuenssberg.

“He is utterly disconnected by class, by privilege from how the ordinary folk in this country feel. He revealed that, I think spectacularly when he left Normandy early.”

“And out there now there are millions and millions of people who were Conservative voters, traditional Conservative voters, not the red-wallers, who are now thinking ‘Do we go on supporting the Conservatives or do we support Reform?’

“And this is going to be, I think, the acid test of this election.”

Farage, who took up the leadership role of the Reform party after a period of denying he would be getting involved in the 2024 General Election, has courted controversy for his approach and demeanour in recent interviews, with comparisons made to disgraced former US president Donald Trump, who he shares a friendship with. 

In an interview in May with Sky News’ Trevor Phillips, the Reform leader was put to task over comments regarding “certain communities” in the United Kingdom causing problems for “hard-working Brits,” with many feeling the connotation was directed more towards the Muslim community, rather than his comments aimed at controversial Rochdale MP, George Galloway. 

The episode featuring Nigel Farage explaining his comments regarding Rishi Sunak and his D-Day commemoration early exit is available now through BBC iPlayer.