Worst General Election gaffes – Rishi’s D-Day catastrophe to Boris’ fridge fail

Rishi Sunak has sparked outrage following his recent D-Day disaster – and his latest embarrassment is the latest in a string of election clangers.

The current PM has been widely criticised after ducking out early from D-Day events for an ITV interview about his General Election campaign. Even his fellow Tories have thrown a few punches, with Tory Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer slamming him for making a ‘significant mistake’.

Rishi has since made a grovelling apology, stating: “The 80th anniversary of D-Day has been a profound moment to honour the brave men and women who put their lives on the line to protect our values, our freedom and our democracy.

“This anniversary should be about those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. The last thing I want is for the commemorations to be overshadowed by politics. I care deeply about veterans and have been honoured to represent the UK at a number of events in Portsmouth and France over the past two days and to meet those who fought so bravely.”

As former Number 10 hopefuls have learned the hard way, however, sometimes a groan-worthy gaffe can have a sledgehammer effect come polling day…

David Cameron’s ‘career’ error

Those hoping to lead the country will usually at least try and make their ambitions appear practically selfless. However, it would appear former PM David Cameron said the quiet part out loud after getting his words in an unfortunate jumble while on the election campaign trail back in 2015.

The ex-Tory leader, who went on to keep his position at Number 10, made an embarrassing slip-up while addressing staff at Asda’s headquarters in Leeds. Mr Cameron declared: “Whatever your views and whichever party you support, please make sure you do vote on May 7. This is a real career-defining… country-defining election that we face now in less than a week’s time.”

Oops. In a scathing post shared via social media platform X, then known as Twitter, David Axelrod, Labour‘s American election adviser, referred to the blunder as a ‘Freudian slip’. Meanwhile, Jon Ashworth, Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Office Minister, remarked that the incident aptly demonstrated how the then Tory leader was putting “his career before country, just as he puts a privileged few before working people.”

Boris Johnson hiding in fridge

Former PM Boris Johnson has had too many awkward gaffes to mention, but one particularly toe-curling moment happened back on the eve of the 2019 election when he attempted to dodge a reporter’s questions by hiding in a fridge. Talk about giving someone the cold shoulder.

While joining in on an early milk round in Yorkshire, Mr Johnson was approached by Good Morning Britain’s Jonathan Swain about his ‘promise to talk to Piers [Morgan] and Susanna [Reid]’, telling him: “We’re ready to go, we’re live on ITV right now. Prime minister, we have an earpiece in my pocket. You are more than welcome to come on.”

This now famous interaction, or indeed lack of, came as opinion polls narrowed – leaving top Tories feeling more than a little nervous. Footage shows one of Mr Johnson’s aides mouthing ‘oh for f***’s sake’ as Swain approached, making it clear they weren’t best pleased to see him.

As for Mr Johnson, he simply told Jonathan ‘I’ll be with you in a second’ before hopping into a fridge packed with milk bottles, in what was widely viewed as an attempt to freeze out any tough questions – quite literally. Expressing disbelief from the studio, former presenter Piers exclaimed: “He’s gone in the fridge!’, while Jonathan quipped: “It’s a very frosty reception we’ve had so far.”

Pocketing phone

Just a few days before ‘Fridge-gate’, Mr Johnson sparked widespread fury and bewilderment after pocketing a reporter’s phone at a highly insensitive moment.

ITV political correspondent Joe Pike attempted to highlight the plight of Jack Williment-Barr – a four-year-old boy with suspected pneumonia who was forced to lie on a pile of coats on the floor of Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) as his family waited for a bed to become available.

When asked whether he’d seen the damning picture himself, Mr Johnson replied that he had not, prompting Joe to take out his phone and show him the snap. Johnson however declined to look, stating: “I understand. And obviously, we have every possible sympathy for everybody who has a bad experience in the NHS“, before going on to discuss investment in the NHS and – the most divisive topic of the time – Brexit.

Not giving in, Joe pressed on, clarified: “I’m talking about this boy, Prime Minister. How do you feel, looking at that photo?”, to which Mr Johnson responded: “Of course. And let me tell you … I haven’t had a chance to look at it.”

When asked to look however, Mr Johnson said that he would ‘study it later’, adding: “If you don’t mind, I’ll give you an interview now. What we are doing is we are taking this country forward, and we are investing in the NHS.”

It was then that, out of shot of the camera, Johnson took the phone from Pike and slipped it into his pocket. Refusing to be shut down, Joe called the then-PM out, asserting: “You’ve refused to look at the photo, you’ve taken my phone and put it in your pocket, Prime Minister. His mother says the NHS is in crisis. What’s your response to that?”

Finally, Johnson took the phone out of his pocket and looked at the photograph. He declared: “It’s a terrible, terrible photo, and I apologise, obviously, to the family and all of those who have terrible experiences in the NHS. But what we are doing is supporting the NHS and on the whole, I think patients in the NHS have a much, much better experience than this poor kid has had.” Handing the phone back to Joe, he continued: “I’m sorry to have taken your phone. There you go.”

Young Jack’s mother Sarah Williment previously spoke with the Mirror about how the sorry state of the NHS had prompted her to switch allegiances to Labour, sharing: “I am frustrated about the system and the lack of beds, which I am presuming is due to a lack of funding to the NHS to deliver the services that are required.”

Bacon sandwich

The ‘Ed Miliband bacon sandwich photo’ is now so notorious, that it actually has its own Wikipedia page – and some believe it cost Labour the much-memed pic cost Labour the 2015 general election.

The unflattering snap shows the former Labour leader tucking into a bacon sandwich at London’s New Covent Garden Market during a campaign tour. The pics were taken by London Evening Standard photographer Jeremy Selwyn, and published in an article titled ‘Ed Miliband’s battle with a bacon sandwich as he buys flowers for his wife at London market’.

Giving a grim description of Ed’s poll-turning breakfast, Political editor Joe Murphy wrote: “For a party leader anxious to avoid any more gaffes, what could go wrong buying flowers for the wife? Plenty, it turned out, as an immaculately suited Ed Miliband turned up at New Covent Garden flower market at the ungodly hour of 6.30 am to bag London’s freshest roses for wife Justine.

“First came the delicate issue of his bacon roll, a vital accessory when meeting the working classes at breakfast time. Mr Miliband’s battle to consume the greasy treat alarmed his media minders, who tried to stop photographers taking close-ups of butter oozing between his teeth. After a few bites, the Labour leader appeared defeated, and the snack was put into the custody of Lord Wood, a senior shadow cabinet member.”

On the eve of the 2015 general election, The Sun newspaper used the picture as a mocking front page, accompanied by the headline ‘Save our bacon’. The publication jeered: “This is the pig’s ear Ed made of a helpless sarnie. In 48 hours, he could be doing the same to Britain.”

Reflecting on the fateful shots three years later in an interview with The Huffington Post, photographer Jeremy explained: “As soon as anybody famous starts to eat in front of you, as a photographer you start switching on immediately. It’s obvious that it’s not your glamour shot.”

‘Bigot’ gaffe

Former Labour leader Gordon Brown dropped a clanger while out on the 2010 campaign trail after he was overheard referring to a Rochdale resident as a ‘bigoted woman’. In a heated exchange, widow Gillian Duffy called Mr Brown up on a number of topics, including crime, university fees, and immigration.

As they wrapped things up, Mr Brown said it was ‘very nice’ to see her, ending things on a friendly note, but he quickly changed his tune in the privacy of his car. Little did he know that his Sky News broadcast microphone was still switched on.

The then-PM was heard telling an aide: “That was a disaster – they should never have put me with that woman. Whose idea was that? It’s just ridiculous…” When asked what exactly she’d said, Mr Brown continued: “Ugh everything! She’s just a sort of bigoted woman that said she used to be Labour. I mean it’s just ridiculous. I don’t know why Sue brought her up towards me.”

After the tape was played back to him during a BBC Radio Two interview, Mr Brown apologised on air, and later telephoned Gillian to make a personal apology. Gillian told BBC News that she was ‘very upset’ by the comments.

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