Theresa May tweet quickly deleted after getting date of D-Day wrong
The incorrect social media message goes up as the prime minister prepares to host 75th anniversary commemorations
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
A tweet by Theresa May was hastily deleted after it got the date of D-Day wrong.
The social media message posted in the prime minister's name as she prepared to host international commemorations in Portsmouth, said that "Today marks 75 years since the D-Day landings".
But the date of the landings on Normandy beaches was June 6 1944, not June 5.
The prime minister was today being joined by the Queen, US President Donald Trump and 14 other world leaders to honour the memory of the 156,000 Allied troops who landed in Normandy in the largest seaborne invasion in world history, which paved the way for the liberation of continental Europe from the Nazis.
Some parachute operations took place on June 5, but the landings themselves were fixed for the following day, after being delayed 24 hours by bad weather.
The post on Ms May's Twitter feed stated: "Today marks 75 years since the D-Day landings. This was the beginning of the end of World War Two."
It was hurriedly removed after the error was spotted. A Downing Street spokesman said: "This tweet was put up in human error and was taken down very quickly."
Ms May and Mr Trump were among 16 countries agreeing a joint "D-Day proclamation" pledge to ensure the "unimaginable horror" of World War Two is not repeated.
The prime minister is set to use the occasion to call for continued Western unity in tackling what she called "new and evolving security threats".
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments