It was a no-brainer, I guess. A choice between doing the Today programme and Sky News, or a 20-minute stint on This Morning, on the day your government yet again misses its immigration targets. Though judging by how uncomfortable Rishi Sunak looked on the ITV sofa, maybe even that was a step too far for the prime minister. He just doesn’t have the homey, man-of-the-people vibes. Principally because he isn’t. Rish! oozes privilege out of every pore. The country is merely a Goldman Sachs case study.
“It’s great to be here,” said Sunak, looking like he couldn’t wait to head for the exit. As if he had realised that even the soft format could soon become rather uncomfortable. Alison Hammond may be a stand-in for Holly Willoughby and Craig Doyle may be a stand-in for a stand-in – Dermot O’Leary, the replacement for Phillip Schofield, was off celebrating his 50th birthday – but neither of them are mugs. Worryingly for Rish! they also talk human. So there was bound to be a culture clash.
