5 key moments from Rishi Sunak's interview with Laura Kuenssberg

With the government fighting to save its Rwanda scheme, strikes in the NHS and the prospect of electoral defeat for the Tories, there was plenty to grill Rishi Sunak on.

The prime minister was challenged on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg on a number of issues including long hospital waiting lists, efforts to tackle inflation, the PPE procurement scandal and how much people will really benefit from a new National Insurance cut.

With a general election expected in the second half of the year, and the Conservative Party trailing behind in the polls compared to Labour, Sunak still has to do a lot of convincing that he is the right man for the job. On a few occasions Kuenssberg had to keep the PM on track and urge him to give a straight answer to her questions, including one that challenged his commitment to the Rwanda deportation scheme.

Despite facing so many challenges from multiple angles, Sunak tried to strike an optimistic tone, brushing off the prospect of an exodos of Tory MPs and insisting the country has "turned a corner" and that his plan is really starting to work.

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Here, Yahoo News looks at five key moments of Kuenssberg's interview with the prime minister.

Sunak insists he believes in Rwanda scheme despite 'value for money' doubts

The PM said he truly believes in the government's proposed Rwanda deportation scheme, despite claims that he was unconvinced by it while serving as chancellor.

According to the BBC, government documents from March 2022 suggested Sunak had concerns not only over the value for money of the scheme, but that he also believed the "deterrent won't work".

Shrugging off the reports, Sunak told Kuenssberg: "I think you're really expanding this beyond what it is. As chancellor my job is to scrutinise and ask tough questions of every single proposal that crosses my desk. That was my job as chancellor because ultimately this is all taxpayers' money. Just because someone is asking tough questions, it doesn't mean they don't believe in the proposal."

Watch: Sunak backs Rwanda policy despite reports he questioned scheme as chancellor

He said the proof is in his actions, having prioritised a scheme to deport boat migrants to Albania after becoming PM, and said it is "wrong" to say he "doesn't believe in the principles" of the Rwanda plan. Sunak also said legislation being drawn up would give ministers the power to ignore a Rule 39 order from the European Court of Human Rights, which was used to ground a Rwanda flight in June 2022.

Striking doctors are to blame for NHS waiting lists, PM says

Sunak admitted that NHS waiting lists have become "far too long", adding: "That has happened on my watch, I accept that."

However, the prime minister laid the blame at the feet of junior doctors who are striking amid a long-running dispute over pay. He said: "We've put record resources in – more doctors, more nurses, community diagnostics centres. We're doing all the right things, treating more people, we've obviously been hindered by industrial action.

"If you see what happened towards the end of last year, we had a period without any strikes in the NHS and what did we see? We saw the waiting list fall by tens of thousands – by 65,000 over the period of October. That actually gives me the confidence to know that once we can resolve the outstanding industrial action that we will be able to see waiting lists fall."

Sunak said that the government has "now reached a resolution with every other part of the NHS" and urged junior doctors to come back to the table to reach a settlement. "What's clear is, we can get the waiting lists down when we don't have strikes. That's what the numbers show," he added.

Sunak answers viewer who feels 'nothing in Britain is working'

The PM attempted to reassure a despondent viewer, who in a question sent into the BBC suggested that from "NHS delivery to potholes on roads and everything in between, delivery is getting worse and there are no signs of improvement in the near future".

Sunak pointed out that around a year ago people were predicting the UK would have a "year-long deep recession this year", which it has managed to avoid. He said inflation has now been halved, having reached 11% and that he's announced £20bn worth of tax cuts that have come in this weekend.

Inflation was running at 11% and has now more than halved, he said, adding: "We've made progress, the plan is working... and the job now is to stick to that plan." Kuenssberg suggested his claims on tax reform are "not as simple as you have suggested", claiming those earning the most and the least are not seeing a tax reduction and that the overall tax burden is at a "record high".

Sunak said the average person who earns £35,000 a year will see a tax cut worth £450, adding: "That's meaningful, that's going to make a difference to people like Gary and everyone else. Twenty-seven million people in work will see a tax cut as a result of what we've done this weekend."

PM vows to cut welfare system to get more people working

Sunak suggested the welfare system needs some long overdue reforms as he pledged to cut public spending in order to lower taxes.

"What we've seen over the past couple of years is a very significant rise in the number of people who are being deemed unfit for work, and that's something that is concerning to me," he told Kuennsberg. "I believe very strongly in the importance of hard work and rewarding hard work.

"In the last decade that system hasn't been reformed, and you've seen the number of people who've been signed off has tripled. Now do I think our country is three times sicker than it was a decade ago? The answer is no. The system is not working as it was designed to work."

Sunak said his government will bring forward reforms that look closer at the eligibility of someone who is signed off sick, which will come in over time for people who are newly presenting to the system. The prime minister added: "It's about fairness. It's about making sure that everyone who can work, does work... that is a Conservative approach. I think it's one that is right for our country."

Sunak brushes off prospect of 53 Tory MPs quitting ahead of election

As mentioned, the Tories are performing badly in the polls, and a number of Conservative MPs have questioned Sunak's capability of leading them to electoral victory later this year.

To paint a picture of how MPs are losing faith, Kuenssberg asked some of Sunak's colleagues for some accurate Tory election slogans. They included, 'Secure the recovery', 'Things can only get better' and 'We're a bit rubbish but the other lot would be tonnes worse'.

Former energy minister Chris Skidmore has said he will resign when parliament returns next week over new legislation "that promotes the production of new oil and gas". Kuenssberg said that 53 Tory MPs have already said they're going to stand down.

Shrugging this off, Sunak said: "It's been a tough time for our country over the past year or two, with the legacy of COVID and the impacts that's had on backlogs, the war in the Ukraine and the pressure that's put on energy bills, but I genuinely believe that we've turned a corner.

"I think the country is now pointing in the right direction, the plans that we’ve put in place are starting to deliver the long-term change our country needs to see. We've got to stick to the plan, because the plan is starting to work."

He said the argument over his leadership is "not about slogans", adding: "It's actually far more important than that, it's about making a difference to people... I feel upbeat because of the progress we've made and the fact I know we are now pointing in the right direction."