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Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was accused of engaging in “dog whistle” politics on Sunday after claiming Rishi Sunak returned home early from the Normandy landings because he didn’t care about “the culture of our country”.
Farage has said he has a “five-year plan” to replace the Conservatives as Labour’s main opposition party, sparking panic within the Conservative party after he entered the general election last week as the new leader of the Reform Party.
But his attack on Mr Sunak over the Prime Minister’s decision not to attend the commemorations at Omaha Beach last week was seen by opponents as crossing a political line.
“He doesn’t really care about the history of our country,” Farage said of Sunak. “Frankly, he doesn’t really care about our culture,” he said, adding: “The man is unpatriotic.”
“These are very regrettable comments,” Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, adding: “They were made thoughtlessly and I feel very uncomfortable about them.”
Shabana Mahmood, Labour’s justice spokeswoman, said of Farage: “This is an individual with a history of trying to divide communities and he is now trying to do so with a facade of dignity.”
The Reform UK leader argued that Mr Sunak is “totally cut off” from ordinary people because of his “rank and privilege” and for no other reason.
He denied that he was referring to the prime minister’s Asian descent and argued that 40 per cent of Britain’s war contributions in the two world wars were made by Commonwealth nationals.
But Mr Mahmood said: “I think this is a classic Nigel Farage technique – leaning in just enough to make a dog-whistle signal, then leaning straight back and making a totally reasonable noise.”
“We all know exactly what Nigel Farage is doing. He has a criminal record. It’s completely unacceptable.”
Mr Sunak’s decision to turn Omaha Beach into an ITV studio to attack Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was seen by senior Conservative party figures as a “gift” to Mr Farage, who is contesting Clacton in the July 4 election.
Morale at Conservative election headquarters is said to be very low and on Sunday Mr Stride faced questions about whether Mr Sunak would still be Conservative leader on July 4.
“Anything else shouldn’t be an issue,” he said. Sky NewsMr Sunak will be hoping that the publication of the Conservative manifesto on Tuesday will help him regain momentum.
Mr Farage, meanwhile, told the BBC that the only remaining question in the election was whether he would be the most effective challenger to Mr Starmer. “The election is over, Labour has already won,” he said.
Reform UK is not expected to win many seats, but if Mr Farage wins a Westminster seat at his eighth try, there is likely to be unrest within the Conservative party over how to deal with him.
Former cabinet minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg is among those calling for Mr Farage to “take up a senior position” in the Conservative party, and he has said he wants to replace the Conservatives as a “real opposition party”.
Senior Conservative Party officials fear that polls in the coming days could show a “crossover” in which Reform UK overtakes the Conservatives, dealing a major psychological blow to Mr Sunak’s campaign.
Election expert Sir John Curtice said on Sunday that since Mr Farage replaced Richard Tice as leader of Reform UK last week, support for right-wing populist parties has risen by an average of three points in opinion polls, while the Conservatives have fallen by two points.
