‘I’m not going to stop’: Rishi Sunak vows to carry on campaigning until his ‘last day’ despite growing alarm about Tory election campaign – with fears Reform could soon overtake party in polls and right-wingers saying they should ‘welcome’ Nigel Farage

Rishi Sunak sounded defiant today as he hurried to get the Tories‘election campaign back on track after the mess of D-Day.

The Prime Minister insisted he ‘won’t quit’ as he visited West Sussex after an extraordinary weekend of allegations.

Mr Sunak was accused of dodging interviews in the wake of his groveling apology for returning early from the 80th anniversary of D-Day commemorations in Normandy to conduct an election interview.

But he flatly dismissed wild rumors that he might quit during the campaign, saying: “The reality is I won’t stop going, I won’t stop fighting for the people’s votes, I won’t stop fighting for the future of our country.

‘I believe deeply in what we do. I think our country is at an important moment, we are at a crossroads, and that is why I called these elections, because now that economic stability has been restored, this is the time to really think about how we create a safer future for everyone. ‘

Focus groups led by the think tank More in Common have laid bare the impact of the D-Day episode, with doubts over Sunak’s ‘turbocharging’ and the Prime Minister now seen by voters as a drag on his party.

In the meantime, Suella Braverman has caused another meltdown by suggesting that Nigel Farage should be ‘welcomed’ into the party.

That led to a blunt response from moderates, including the former attorney general Robert Buckland telling the BBC: ‘We are a broad church, but not an Amazon warehouse.’

Concerns are growing in Tory circles about a ‘crossover’ moment in the polls, with support for reform transcending the party.

In other twists today:

• Mr Sunak is doing a BBC Panorama interview which airs tonight at 8pm;
• Labor launches childcare plan after rolling back lifetime allowance for pension funds;
• The Lib Dems launch their manifesto promising to raise taxes on the rich.

Rishi Sunak is doing everything he can to get the Tories’ election campaign back on track today, after the D-Day mess and as infighting over the threat of reform heats up

Concern is growing in Tory circles about a ‘crossover’ moment in the polls, with support for NIgel Farage’s reform surpassing the party

Suella Braverman has caused another meltdown by suggesting Nigel Farage should be ‘welcomed’ into the party

Sunak spent a quiet weekend regrouping after a storm of criticism over his decision to return early from last week’s 80th anniversary commemorations, for which he apologized on Friday.

Secretary Work and Pensions Mel Stride was forced to quell speculation that Sunak could resign before the election.

He said the Prime Minister was “very patriotic” and had taken the criticism “very deeply personally” but that there was “no way” he would resign.

Mr Farage has joined the row, accusing Mr Sunak of being ‘unpatriotic’. But the reform leader was accused of ‘dog-whistle politics’ – code for subtly appealing to racist sentiments – after suggesting the prime minister doesn’t care about ‘our culture’.

Ms Braverman, who was brutally sacked by Mr Sunak in a Cabinet reshuffle in November, said The times there was ‘not much difference’ between Mr Farage’s policies and those of the Tories’.

“We must find a way to work together in the future because there should not be major differences between us,” she said.

‘I would like to welcome Nigel to the Conservative party. There really isn’t much difference between him and many of the policies we support.

‘We are a broad church, we must be a hospitable party and an inclusive party. If someone supports the party that is a condition, and if he/she wants Conservatives to be elected then he/she must be welcome.”

But Sir Robert shot down the idea, and Business Minister Kemi Badenoch has previously indicated she would not serve alongside Farage in the party.

During a tour of the broadcasting studios this morning, Police Minister Chris Philp dismissed the question as “theoretical”, pointing out that Farage was running against the Tories.

Farage told the BBC that Sunak “should have known in his heart that it was good to be there.”

He claimed the Tory leader ‘doesn’t really care about our history, and frankly doesn’t care about our culture either’.

Challenged by the comments, he insisted he was talking about Mr Sunak’s “class” and not his heritage as the son of first-generation immigrants.

Mr Farage denied any racial element and said ’40 per cent of our contribution’ to the two world wars ‘came from the Commonwealth’.

He added that the Prime Minister was “by class, by privilege, completely disconnected from how ordinary people feel. He revealed that, I think in spectacular fashion, when he left Normandy early.”

Mr Stride said he felt “very uncomfortable” with the “ill-considered” comments, adding: “I am very proud that we have a British-Asian right-hand man at the top of our government.”

Labor spokesperson Shabana Mahmood accused Farage of ‘dog-whistle politics’.

“We can all see exactly what he is doing, he has form, it is completely unacceptable,” she added.

“This is a man who has a track record of dividing communities who only want to do so with a veneer of respect.”

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.

Mr Sunak with the King and Queen and the President of France, Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte at the commemoration on Friday morning

The Prime Minister apologized the next day, saying he “deeply regretted” his decision to leave early. The backlash has deepened the gloom surrounding the Tory campaign, which has so far failed to reduce Labour’s huge lead in the polls.

Former minister Nadine Dorries suggested this weekend that the Prime Minister could even ‘fall on his sword’, but senior Tories have dismissed this.

One said: ‘In the words of Churchill, he must keep going – there is no other option. He should just stop doing that shit.’

Mr Sunak told The Mail On Sunday: “We all make mistakes. We are all human. But I am motivated to do the best I can for this country. That’s what keeps me going.’

He hopes to restart the Conservative campaign tomorrow, when he is expected to unveil the party manifesto and focus on the political divide over taxes.

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