Tonight, under-pressure Rishi Sunak will be grilled by the BBC’s Nick Robinson in the first of a series of Panorama interviews in the run-up to the general election.
The beleaguered Prime Minister – who this morning hit a fresh low when he was forced to deny rumours he’s standing down before the UK goes to the polls – will answer questions for half an hour in the BBC special.
The BBC has plugged it as: “Nick Robinson interviews all the major party leaders in the run-up to the general election. How do their policies stack up?”
Expect lots of grimacing, raised voices and “the plan is working” being repeated ad nauseam.
Here’s all you need to know about the programme.
What time is the Rishi Sunak interview?
The Panorama special kicks off tonight (Monday, June 10) at 8pm. Expect 30 minutes of solid questioning from the BBC’s Nick Robinson, who sits down with Mr Sunak to find out why – just why – he still wants to be Prime Minister after what might just be the most disastrous political campaign in recent history.
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It’ll come just hours after the No10 incumbent was put on the spot about his future as he finally returned to the glare of the spotlight after taking a 48-hour break from the media.
As he hit the campaign trail in Horsham, West Sussex, Mr Sunak was asked whether resigning ahead of July 4’s election had crossed his mind. “No, of course not. I’m energised about the vision that we’re putting forward for the country,” he insisted.
“This campaign is not even halfway through yet, and I’m finding enormous amount of support for the policies that we’re putting on the table.”
When pressed again, he replied: “People are gonna say what they’re gonna say. I am very confident in the actions that we’re putting forward for the British people. I’m confident they will deliver a more secure future for people. There are lots of people who want to write me off, write this off, say this campaign or the election is a foregone conclusion. They’ve been saying that, by the way, ever since I’ve got this job, right? Not since this election campaign.”
How to watch Rishi Sunak’s BBC interview
The show will air on BBC One and BBC News at 8pm, for half an hour. It’ll also be available on iPlayer soon after broadcast.
This is the first in a series of one-on-one interviews with leaders of the main political parties. The next, which airs tomorrow (Tuesday June 11), will feature Nigel Farage, the newly restored leader of Reform UK, who is standing for the eighth time in the hopes of finally winning a parliamentary seat.
Then on Wednesday, the leader of the Scottish National Party John Swinney will be interviewed by Nick Robinson at 7pm.
Tonight’s grilling is expected to feature the disrespect Mr Sunak showed to veterans who gathered in Normandy last Wednesday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
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While the top Tory gave a speech in the morning, he snuck off before the schedule of events was over, leaving his political rival Keir Starmer mingling with veterans and world leaders instead.
He was forced to issue a grovelling apology for leaving early, claiming he had to get back to the UK in time for a pre-recorded interview.
But his ‘sorry’ wasn’t enough to draw a line under the whole affair, and he was forced again this morning to address his actions.
“I absolutely didn’t mean to cause anyone any hurt or upset, and that’s why I apologised unreservedly for the mistake that I made,” he said in his first broadcast since D-Day, having cancelled all media appearances and gone to ground over the weekend.
“I just hope people can find it in their hearts to forgive me and look at my actions that I’ve taken as prime minister, both to support our armed forces with an increase in defence spending, but also have the minister focused on veterans affairs around the cabinet table, making sure this is best country in the world to be a veteran.”