Foreign Secretary David Cameron, who has joined Sunak alongside world leaders at international events, defended the prime minister as “candid”.
As Mr Sunak departed after the UK events, Sir Cameron said: “He has had long-standing plans to return after that and we are in the middle of an election campaign so this is not surprising.”
“But in hindsight, he said he wished he had attended the later event, and I think it’s a credit to him that he was honest about that.”
Veterans Affairs Minister Johnny Mercer said veterans would “feel it very vividly” and “personally it is a bit shocking, but I stand with the Prime Minister”.
“I think he did the right thing by apologizing. It was a mistake and it should not have happened,” he said.
“Obviously people will want to make this a political issue and criticize him. I won't join that crowd.
“I think people make mistakes. This was a mistake. He accepted it, he apologized and I will continue to fight for him.”
He called on people to remember the government's decisions on veterans' issues, including the prosecution of Northern Irish heritage, and insisted Mr Sunak and his wife have been “deeply committed to this issue for many years”.
But Muriel, 90, from Carlisle, whose father was fighting in Italy on D-Day, told BBC Radio 5 Live that he was “absolutely disgusted” by Mr Sunak and had been brought to tears by his departure.
She said: “He is our prime minister and he was representing me. I think that's so wrong.
“I sat and watched it from 7:30, and I cried for quite a while, and I think I was really scared.
“If he expects me to vote for him again, he might forget about it.”
World War II pilot Jack Hemmings, 102, who traveled to Normandy for the commemoration, told the BBC that Sunak's early departure was a “bad decision”.
“He decided to hold an election before thousands of people die.”
Mr. Hemmings. A Liberal Democrat, he served with 353 Squadron and flew Lockheed Hudsons in a maritime patrol role to protect the Bay of Bengal from Japanese invasion.
