BBC TV viewers say Rishi Sunak is ‘performing like a toddler’ in Keir Starmer debate

Viewers said Rishi Sunak was acting like a ‘petulant child’ during tonight’s BBC TV debate – repeatedly interrupting and shouting over Keir Starmer and the audience.

Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting said after the debate: “I think it’s clear that the Prime Minister was very shouty-interrupty, and not very Prime Ministerial.”

And during the debate, Mr Starmer said: “If you listen to the people in the audience, across the country, more often, you might not be quite so out of touch.”

He won further applause by urging the PM to “show some respect to the audience who want to know what I’ve got to say about this, without constantly being interrupted.”

The PM’s behaviour did not go down well with viewers – with hundreds taking to social media to complain.

“It’s really bad and he just looks and sounds like he is throwing a tantrum,” one Twitter user said. “Sunak is having a toddler temper tantrum, I had to switch it off.” said another. Another wrote: “The vote for shouty child of the year went to Sunak”

And another said: “Starmer won in the end, Sunak is just a little petulant pathetic child, like a schoolboy bully, an embarrassment to the Conservative Party.”

Even as Mr Sunak and Mr Starmer were debating how to restore trust in politics, Conservative HQ rebranded its Twitter account to appear to be an independent fact checking service – a wheeze borrowed from Boris Johnson’s playbook from 2019.

A snap YouGov poll of 1,716 debate viewers suggested it was a tie with exactly 50% saying Mr Sunak performed best and 50% saying Mr Starmer. The sound of protesters shouting outside the Nottingham debate venue could be heard as the two leaders began speaking. Host Mishal Hussain confirmed the demonstration was taking place.