Nigel Farage channelled Eminem as he gloated that last night’s TV election debate between Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer ‘feels so empty without me’.
Viewing figures released this morning showed millions of Britons snubbed the showdown between the PM and Labour leader on primetime ITV.
The programme was watched by an average of just 4.8million viewers, with a peak of 5.2million viewers.
This was down from the average audience of 6.7million for the ITV debate between Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn during the 2019 general election.
A YouGov snap poll revealed nearly two-thirds who did watch last night’s clash between Mr Sunak and Sir Keir branded it ‘frustrating’.
The debate saw both party leaders repeatedly speak over each other during tetchy exchanges, as ITV host Julie Etchingham struggled to rein them in.
2010 – Average of 9.4million viewers, peak of 10.3million
2019 – Average of 6.7million viewers, peak of 7.3million
2024 – Average of 4.8million viewers, peak of 5.2million
According to the YouGov survey of 1,657 debate viewers, conducted last night, 62 per cent described it as ‘frustrating’.
This compared to 42 per cent who said it was ‘interesting’, 32 per cent who branded it ‘vague’, and only 4 per cent who agreed it was ‘authentic’.
Mid-way through last night’s debate, Mr Farage claimed he had ‘found something more interesting to watch than Sunak v Starmer’ and posted a video of fresh paint drying.
In another social media post after the debate had ended, the newly-installed Reform UK leader shared a video of himself on the general election campaign trail.
The footage was set to the Eminem song ‘Without Me’, which includes the lyrics: ‘Now this looks like a job for me, so everybody just follow me, because we need a little controversy, because it feels so empty without me.’
Mr Farage yesterday vowed to be a ‘bloody nuisance’ in Westminster as he launched his bid to be elected MP for Clacton.
He warned the Tories should ‘pay a big price’ for betraying the promises of Brexit and suggested a ‘chunk’ of the Conservatives could join Reform.
It came after the former UKIP leader on Monday U-turned on his previous suggestion he would not stand in this general election.
He has now opted to fight in Clacton and been installed as Reform leader in place of Richard Tice.
Ahead of the 2010 general election, which was the first time TV election debates took place in Britain, an average of 9.4million viewers tuned into a three-way clash between Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg.
The audience hit a peak of 10.3million in the first ever UK televised leaders’ debate.