Rishi Sunak's campaign dealt unexpected blow by BBC's Springwatch
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sat down with BBC's Nick Robinson for a grilling ahead of the General Election in July.
Rishi Sunak asked about Nigel Farage in Panorama special
Rishi Sunak has been dealt a huge blow after rival BBC show Springwatch pulled in more viewers. On Monday evening (June 10), the Prime Minister received a grilling from journalist Nick Robinson in a BBC Panorama interview.
The interview aired on BBC One at 8pm, going head-to-head with the likes of Springwatch and Coronation Street. The overall figures have now been released on Jim Waterson's social media.
Mr Sunak's grilling was viewed by 1.4m people, while 1.5m turned over to BBC Two's to enjoy Springwatch, hosted by Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan.
Meanwhile Coronation Street came out on top, pulling in a whopping 3.5m viewers. Across the other channels, Bake Off pulled in 1.2m while Channel 5's Motor Cops had 1m tuning in.
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During the grilling, the 44-year-old was quizzed about Reform party leader Nigel Farage. He was challenged on criticism from the former UKIP leader, to which he hit back: "The choice for everybody, there's only going to be one of two people who's prime minister, Keir Starmer or myself.
"A vote for anyone who's not a Conservative candidate is just making it more likely that Keir Starmer is that person."
He was also asked whether Mr Farage, 60, is more Conservative than him. He responded: "So if you ask someone, you say, you know, what makes a Conservative.
"If you are someone who wants lower taxes, if you want your pension protected, if you want migration reduced, if you want a sensible approach to net zero that prioritises our security and reducing people's bills, that's what I will offer you in this election."
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When challenged further on Mr Farage, Mr Sunak said: "I'm willing to talk about everything here, but the simple issue here is a vote for anyone else, including Nigel Farage's party - and I would make the same point about anyone's party - is ultimately a vote that makes it more likely that Keir Starmer is in power."
Mr Robinson will be interviewing leaders of the biggest political parties ahead of the General Election on July 4. However, it has been reported that Mr Farage has pulled out of his interview at the last minute.
His grilling was scheduled to air at 10:40pm, but it has now been postponed to a later date. According to MailOnline, the politician will still be taking part in the interview at some point.
