Gavin Robinson says a 'First Minister for all' would have paid tribute to D-Day veterans - after O'Neill absence from Normandy

Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister Emma Little Pengelly, Welsh First Minister Vaughan Gething and Scottish First Minister John Swinney pictured in Normandy for the 80th Anniversary of D Day. Northern Ireland's First Minister, Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill did not attend the historic event - which was attended by world leaders.

Deputy First Minister Emma Little Pengelly represented Northern Ireland in Normandy this week as global leaders attended commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings – the start of Europe’s liberation from Nazism.

However, Sinn Fein minister Michelle O’Neill – who has branded herself a “first minister for all” – was not in attendance.

And Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has come under fire for leaving the event early to conduct a television interview. The Tory leader said it “was a mistake not to stay in France longer, and I apologise”. The Labour Party have accused him of a “dereliction of duty”.

Responding to the events, DUP leader Gavin Robinson said: “The debt we owe to those men who led the D-Day landings is immeasurable. Rishi Sunak returned to the UK to participate in a democratic election campaign which is only possible because of the sacrifices on D-Day. His decision to leave early is inexplicable.

“There were veterans, aged over one hundred or in their late nighties, who travelled to remember their friends and comrades on the Normandy beaches. Despite their frailty, they stayed to the end. The Prime Minister has rightly apologised. His actions nonetheless undermine the authenticity of the speech he made at the British Normandy Memorial, where he recalled the debt we owe.”

“The Royal Ulster Rifles played such a critical role on D-Day with tens of thousands of soldiers from across the island of Ireland volunteering to play their part in the war effort. Their sacrifice must never be forgotten. The freedoms they helped win must always be honoured and protected.

“I am glad our Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly was in Normandy this week to represent Northern Ireland alongside the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales.

“With men from across the island being remembered, I am disappointed that the Deputy First Minister was alone in Normandy and the other half of the joint Office was absent.

“When we consider how so many from this island have only been able to openly remember their grandparents’ war efforts in recent years, this was a missed opportunity for leadership and reconciliation.

“Just as the Prime Minister has recognised that he was wrong to leave early, the First Minister should recognise it was a mistake not to stand alongside the Deputy First Minister at the memorial services in Normandy.

“A First Minister for all would have paid tribute to the D-Day veterans.”