Mordaunt condemns Sunak as ‘wrong’ over D-Day as TV debate turns into ‘unedifying’ row | EUROtoday

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Penny Mordaunt was compelled to open the second televised election debate with an apology and admission that her chief Rishi Sunak was “wrong” over leaving the D-Day commemorations early in one other unhealthy night time for the Tories.

But the Tory cupboard minister sought to make the seven-party occasion right into a two-way struggle between herself and Angela Rayner, who stood subsequent to her within the line-up, in what one other panellist SNP Westminster chief Stephen Flynn described as an “unedifying” row.

The lineup additionally included Liberal Democrat deputy chief Daisy Cooper, Plaid Cymru’s Rhun ap Iorwerth, Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer and Reform UK’s Nigel Farage.

Ms Mordaunt was dealt a troublesome hand forward of the talk on the BBC tonight after the prime minister himself needed to apologise to veterans for abandoning Thursday’s commemoration occasions early.

With Ms Mordaunt representing Portsmouth North, the house of the Royal Navy with many serving personnel and veterans in her constituency, she was compelled to sentence what Mr Sunak had finished.

She informed the viewers: “What happened was completely wrong, and the Prime Minister has rightly apologised for that, apologised to veterans but also to all of us, because he was representing all of us.

“I’m from Portsmouth, I have also been defence secretary and my wish is at the end of this week is that all of our veterans feel completely treasured.”

Asked if she would have left Normandy early as Mr Sunak did on Thursday, Ms Mordaunt said: “I didn’t go to D-Day, I think what happened was very wrong, I think the Prime Minister has apologised for that.

“But what I also think is important is we honour their legacy, they fought for our freedom, and unless we are spending the right amount on defence we can’t honour that legacy.”

She later added: “I don’t want this issue to become a political football.”

Her opponents, though, latched on to the issue with gusto.

Mr Farage replied: “Well, it already is. It already is because the veterans themselves are speaking out saying he’s let the country down.”

But the moment of the debate came when the Lib Dems’ Daisy Cooper spoke about her grandfather’s experience on the Normandy beaches 80 years ago.

She said: “It was not only politically shameful but I think many of us feel personally insulted. I started yesterday morning watching a recording made by the Royal Mint of my late grandfather where he recounts catching his best friend who fell from the top of a Sherman tank who was shot in the head and as he waded through the water he recounted, in his words, men blown to pieces, hands, legs and heads.

“If he had been there yesterday and seen the prime minister walk away from him I would find that completely and utterly unforgivable.”

There was little positive reaction to the contenders from an audience, one of whom asked a question about why politicians do not keep their promises.

The first of a rare moment of applause during the debate, for Mr Flynn, saying Scotland does not have tuition fees for students. One of the others was for Mr Farage saying stop and search to stop knife crime needed to be introduced.

But Ms Mordaunt and Ms Rayner clearly aimed to cut out the other five with a series of angry exchanges of claim and counterclaim as they drowned out the other panellists.

Ms Mordaunt tried to use the claim that Labour will increase taxes by £2,000 but was reminded by the BBC’s Mishal Husain that the Treasury had distanced itself from the figure.

Ms Mordaunt also tried to use Ms Rayner’s past opposition to nuclear weapons to suggest that Vladimir Putin wants Labour to win.

“Labour’s plans to tax your future pension, senior nurses and doctors, is going to get healthcare professionals to leave the service. That is going to lead to more waiting lists,” Ms Mordaunt mentioned.

“Penny, that’s rubbish and you’ve just said we need a strong economy – you backed Liz Truss and crashed our economy,” Labour deputy chief Angela Rayner replied.

Ms Mordaunt added: “Angela Rayner’s party – Keir Starmer confirmed this earlier this week – they are going to put up your taxes by £2,000 per working household.”

The controversial determine has made headlines, with the Labour chief accusing Mr Sunak of mendacity about how the sum was calculated, and Ms Rayner additionally branded the allegation “a lie” in the course of the debate.

Ms Mordaunt additionally tried to take the warmth off the immigration query by trying to show it right into a cost-of-living one which noticed her solely direct conflict with Mr Farage. He reminded her what the query was. Instead, she instructed that he was incorrect to name it “the immigration election” and argued it was “the cost of living election”.

Meanwhile, the under-fire Tory minister road-tested a brand new assault line on Labour’s vitality plans to create GB Energy.

Speaking on the seven-way BBC debate, Commons chief Ms Mordaunt mentioned: “It’s not just your taxes that I’m worried about, I’m worried about my constituents being able to afford a Labour government.

“Angela mentioned GB Energy, do you know what the GB stands for? It stands for giant bills, and more bills are coming with the net zero plans that Labour have.”

Angela Rayner obtained applause from the viewers on the BBC debate as she clashed with Penny Mordaunt over NHS ready lists and claimed Liz Truss “crashed” the economic system.

On decreasing healthcare ready lists, Ms Mordaunt mentioned: “There are many things we need to do, but there are two really important things.

“We must preserve the finances robust. We want a robust economic system.”

She continued: “Labour’s plans to tax your future pension, senior nurses and docs, goes to get healthcare professionals to go away the service. That goes to result in extra ready lists.”

Ms Rayner responded: “Penny, that is garbage and you’ve got simply mentioned we want a robust economic system – you backed Liz Truss and crashed our economic system.”

The studio audience applauded as Ms Rayner added: “You made individuals like me redundant after we have been within the homecare service.”