The reaction to Rishi Sunak’s decision to leave D-Day celebrations early is worse than when Gordon Brown called Gillian Duffy a “prejudiced woman”, says Ruth Davidson.
The prime minister apologized for missing part of the event on Thursday for a TV interview and on Monday said he hoped people “find it in their hearts” to forgive him.
Speaking on the Electoral Dysfunction podcast with Sky News political editor Beth Rigby, the former leader of the Scottish Conservatives said claims that Sunak’s gaffe is “the defining mistake of the campaign” are “very kind”.
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“This is worse than Michael Foot wearing a donkey jacket to the Cenotaph, this is worse than Gordon Brown [saying] ‘it’s that prejudiced woman'”, she said.
“Because one of the things that conservatives should stand for – beyond politics, beyond personalities – has to do with values.”
Davidson then said: “You couldn’t think of a worse thing for a Conservative prime minister to do.”
This comes before The battle for number 10 – a special event from Sky News leaders, which will be broadcast live on Sky News on Wednesday at 7.30pm from Grimsby – an area that will play a key role in the election.
Beth Rigby will examine leaders of the Conservative and Labor parties on their commitments to the country during in-depth 20-minute interviews.
The public will then ask their questions to Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer in 25-minute intervals, which Davidson said the Prime Minister will have to navigate carefully.
Broadcaster and former Labor Party adviser Baroness Ayesha Hazarika believes “Rishi Sunak will feel quite defensive” going into the event, “particularly because of the D-Day fiasco”.
“I think Rishi Sunak’s tone makes people a little more uncomfortable,” she added, recalling when Mr Sunak asked a homeless man if he works in business.
The way Rishi Sunak tries to relate to people can be fundamental. Photo: PA
“A big part of that will be being able to pivot, try to answer questions from the audience, but also try to connect with them and show some empathy and some emotional intelligence.”
Rigby, in turn, analyzed the obstacles faced by Sir Keir.
“Part of the problem with being the leader of the opposition is that when you are the prime minister you get a lot of attention and you can dominate the airwaves and set the agenda,” she said.
“When you’re the leader of the opposition… you have to fight for attention.”
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Part of Sir Keir’s battle in this campaign is to try “to get people to understand him better”, she added.
“We joke about the toolmaker business, but only 11% of the population knows his father was a toolmaker,” she said.
“What they might see is Sir Keir Starmer and think he’s an aristocrat.”
Email the electoraldysfunction@sky.uk team, post on X to @BethRigby or send a WhatsApp voice note to 07934 200 444.
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