Now Nigel Farage says Rishi Sunak has 'no connection with the country': Reform leader risks inflaming row over 'dog whistle politics' after accusing PM of not 'understanding our culture' for leaving D-Day commemorations early

Nigel Farage was risked inflaming the row over 'dog whistle' politics today as he accused Rishi Sunak of having 'no connection with the country'.

The Reform leader faced a backlash yesterday after he laid into the PM's decision to leave D-Day commemorations in France early.  

He claimed Mr Sunak 'doesn't really care about our history, he doesn't really care – frankly – about our culture'.

Mr Farage has insisted that he was referring to Mr Sunak's 'class' rather than his heritage as the son of first-generation immigrants.

And at a campaign event in London this afternoon, the Brexiteer returned to the topic, saying of the PM: 'He's got no connection with the country whatsoever. This is your classic Winchester, Oxford, Goldman Sachs… does he even meet ordinary people? I doubt it.

'He doesn't understand where the centre of gravity of people's hearts are in this country.'

Mr Sunak stubbornly refused to get involved in the row this morning, insisting that would not be 'good for our politics, or indeed our country'. He reiterated his apology for departing Normandy before the final event, to do a campaign interview in the UK. 

Asked today what he made of Mr Farage's remarks, Mr Sunak today told reporters on a campaign visit to West Sussex: 'You can ask him. I can't speak for him and what he meant by those comments.

'I'm not going to get involved in that because I don't think it's good for our politics, or indeed our country.

'And when it comes to the D-Day events, I spoke about that a lot last week. I absolutely didn't mean to cause anyone any hurt or upset, and that's why I apologised unreservedly for the mistake that I made.

'And I just hope people can find it in their hearts to forgive me and look at my actions that I've taken as Prime Minister, both to support our armed forces with an increase in defence spending, but also have the minister focused on veterans affairs around the Cabinet table, making sure this is best country in the world to be a veteran.'

At the Reform event this afternoon, Mr Farage jibed that the Tories could get zero seats if Mr Sunak had to resign in the campaign.

'I would have thought they would probably end up with a score rather like they did in the European election in May 2019, hovering around 8 per cent with zero seats,' he said.

'If this wasn't an election then I think he would have resigned already. To have shown over D-Day that he didn't even understand what it meant to people.'

Chris Philp today became the latest senior politician to attack Mr Farage, telling LBC: 'I think that is deeply unfair and, with respect to Nigel Farage, deeply inaccurate. 

'Everyone who knows Rishi Sunak will say he works night and day for the country - he's backed our armed forces with 2.5 per cent GDP pledge to fund our armed forces, a pledge that Labour has not backed, and he's done more than anybody else to back our veterans.'

Mr Farage told the BBC yesterday that Mr Sunak 'should have known in his heart' that it was wrong to leave Normandy early.

He claimed the Tory leader 'doesn't really care about our history, he doesn't really care – frankly – about our culture'.

Challenged over the comments, he insisted he had been talking about Mr Sunak's 'class' rather than his heritage as the son of first-generation immigrants.

Mr Farage denied any racial element, saying that '40 per cent of our contribution' in the two world wars 'came from the Commonwealth'.

He added that the PM was 'utterly disconnected by class, by privilege, from how ordinary folk feel. He revealed that, I think spectacularly, when he left Normandy early'.

Mr Stride said he was 'very uncomfortable' at the 'ill-advised' comments, adding: 'I'm very proud we have a British Asian right at the top of our Government.'

Labour's justice spokesman Shabana Mahmood accused Mr Farage of 'dog whistle' politics.

'We can all see exactly what he is doing, he's got form, it is completely unacceptable,' she added.

'This is a man that has a track record of seeking to divide communities who just wants to do it with a veneer of respectability.'

Mr Sunak attended D-Day commemorations in Portsmouth and Normandy, France, last week.

But he left Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron to represent Britain at an 'international event' attended by Emmanuel Macron, Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky and other world leaders. The Prime Minister apologised the next day, saying he 'deeply regrets' his decision to leave early. The backlash has deepened the gloom around the Tory campaign which has so far failed to dent Labour's huge poll lead.

Former Cabinet minister Nadine Dorries suggested at the weekend the PM could even 'fall on his sword' but senior Tories dismissed this.

One said: 'In the words of Churchill, he has got to keep buggering on – there isn't any other option. He just needs to stop buggering up.'

Mr Sunak told The Mail On Sunday: 'We all make mistakes. We're all human. But I'm motivated to do what I can for this country to the best of my ability. That's what keeps me going.'

He hopes to reboot the Conservative campaign tomorrow when he is expected to unveil the party's manifesto and focus on the political divide over tax.

Mr Stride told Sky News that Mr Sunak will 'absolutely' lead the Tories into the election and denied that 'all is lost'.