Nigel Farage urged to apologise for claiming Rishi Sunak does not care about 'our culture'

Senior Tories called for Nigel Farage to apologise after he accused Rishi Sunak of not understanding “our culture”.

The Reform UK leader was attacked for using “dog whistle” tactics over the Prime Minister’s ethnicity - something he denied.

But Conservatives said the comments were “deliberately divisive” and an attempt to stoke up more anger about the PM’s decision to leave D-Day commemorations early.

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, who served in the Scots Guards, told the Express: “To accuse the Prime Minister, who is a British citizen, of not understanding our culture is first of all, stupid, because of course he understands our culture, he is part of our culture.

“The point he is attacking him on, he is just trying to find another way to attack him about D-day."

Sir Iain added: “He showed all the traits of British culture by respecting all of those soldiers who fought there, and I say that as an ex-soldier myself.

“The idea that Nigel Farage, who didn’t serve in the British Army, is trying to make is essentially a deliberately divisive remark about Rishi Sunak on that basis that somehow because his family were originally from India that he doesn’t share our culture. What a bizarre and peculiar thing to have said.

“I don’t agree with him. I reject those comments. They are unnecessary and I think it would be good for him to apologise.”

The Prime Minister apologised on Friday after leaving Normandy before a ceremony for international leaders.

In an interview with the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Farage claimed Mr Sunak “doesn’t really care about our history, he doesn’t really care – frankly – about our culture”.

Pressed on what he meant, the Reform leader replied: “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 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.

“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?’

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

Cabinet minister Mel Stride said he was “very uncomfortable” with the comments.

He said: “I think they are suggesting things – I’m not going to go any further than that because I didn’t want to stoke this whole thing up – but it just seems to me that that’s an ill-advised thing to have said.

“I feel very uncomfortable with that. We’ve had in our country, and it’s a source of great personal pride – as somebody who supported the Prime Minister, wanted him to be the leader of our party and our Prime Minister – that I’ve sat around a Cabinet table that’s the most diverse in history.

“I’m very proud of the fact that we have a British Asian who is right at the top of our Government.”

Shadow justice secretary Shabana Mahmood suggested Mr Farage’s comments were a “dog whistle” attack – that would be heard by the intended recipients in one way while appearing otherwise uncontroversial.

She said: “I think this is a classic Nigel Farage trick, lean just enough to signal a bit of a dog whistle and then lean straight back and sound perfectly reasonable and say something good about the contribution that Commonwealth soldiers, ethnic minorities made towards the war effort.

“We can all see exactly what Nigel Farage is doing, he’s got form, it is completely unacceptable.

“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 whilst he’s at it.”

Mr Sunak has faced unrest in the party over the D-Day decision and is said to have felt the public backlash “very personally”.

But the PM will be out campaigning again today (Monday) and is planning to unveil some “bold” new policy pledges when he unveils the manifesto tomorrow (TUES).

Former cabinet minister Nadine Dorries, a fierce critic of Mr Sunak, suggested there were “rumours around tonight that Sunak’s about to fall on his sword”.

But Mr Stride, one of Mr Sunak’s closest allies, insisted the PM will “absolutely” lead the party into the election.

“There should be no question of anything other than that,” he said.

He also denied that “all is lost” for the party, despite an average 20-point poll deficit to Labour.

The Work and Pensions Secretary said Labour hopes to “drift across the line almost without anybody noticing”.

He told Sky’s Sir Trevor Phillips: “To your point about whether ‘all is lost’, we have four weeks, that’s a long time in politics.”

Mr Stride said Mr Sunak is “deeply patriotic” and committed to supporting veterans.

He added: “The Prime Minister has accepted that he made a mistake. He has apologised unequivocally for that.

“I think he will be feeling this personally, very deeply, because he’s a deeply patriotic person. He will be deeply uncomfortable with what has happened.”