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Rishi Sunak and Nigel Farage to be interviewed in Panorama election specials

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has been invited to appear but has not been confirmed as an interviewee.

Hannah Roberts
Friday 07 June 2024 12:20 BST
Leader of Reform UK Nigel Farage will be interviewed for a Panorama special (James Manning/PA)
Leader of Reform UK Nigel Farage will be interviewed for a Panorama special (James Manning/PA) (PA Wire)

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Rishi Sunak and Nigel Farage are among the political leaders who will be interviewed in a series of BBC Panorama specials ahead of the General Election.

The BBC has also invited Sir Keir Starmer to be interviewed by British journalist Nick Robinson, but his appearance has not been confirmed.

Robinson’s first interviewee is the Prime Minister, who will be grilled in a programme airing on BBC One on June 10 at 8pm.

Mr Farage, who recently announced he would stand as leader of Reform UK, will sit down with the journalist in a special airing the next day at 10.40pm.

The leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) John Swinney will talk to Robinson in a broadcast on June 12 at 7pm, airing on both BBC One and BBC One Scotland.

At the same time, an interview with leader of Plaid Cymru, Rhun ap Iorwerth will air on BBC One Wales.

On June 18 at 10.40pm, a Panorama special featuring the co-leader of the Green Party, Adrian Ramsay, will air, and the last interview will take place on June 28 at 8.30pm with Sir Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats.

All of the interviews will broadcast on BBC One, apart from the Plaid Cymru special, and each programme will become available on BBC iPlayer.

The Labour leader and Mr Sunak had their first televised leaders’ election debate on June 4, broadcast on ITV.

The BBC’s election coverage includes a debate between Sir Keir and Mr Sunak, airing on BBC One and BBC News on June 26, which will be hosted by BBC newsreader Sophie Raworth.Alongside this, Mishal Husain is hosting a debate between leading figures from seven different parties on Friday from 7.30pm to 9pm and on June 20 there will be a two-hour long Question Time leaders’ special, hosted by Fiona Bruce.

Jonathan Munro, deputy chief executive BBC News and director of journalism, said: “Nick Robinson is a formidable political interviewer.

“Over the next few weeks, he’ll be putting the questions that matter most to audiences up and down the country to the leaders of the biggest political parties in Great Britain.

“These interviews are a crucial part of our election coverage as we get more time to sit down with them and put their policy ambitions to the test.”

Mr Sunak called for a July 4 General Election on May 22.

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