For her final question, Oakden turns to child poverty.

She puts it to Sunak that one in every five children in the north-east are growing up in poverty. "How are you going to tackle that?" she asks.

Sunak says the "most important thing is to make sure their parents are in work".

"That is the thing to focus on and helping them, this year in particular, with the cost of living," he adds.

Oakden asks him if the rate of child poverty in the UK it is a "grim indictment on 13 years of Conservative government."

Sunak says the government has made progress since 2010 - but says the job is not yet done.

Image source, PA Media

Oakden now asks the PM about crumbling concrete in schools - and says some parents don't think the government is doing enough.

Sunak says he knows how "enormously frustrating" the timing of school closures was at the start of the academic year.

Bue he insists it was right the government took action as it would have been worse to "sit on that", and put children at risk.

Let's go over to BBC Radio Tees where Rishi Sunak has just started speaking to host Amy Oakden.

She starts by playing a question from Mel Wise, from Leyburn in Sunak's Richmond constituency, who is trying to raise £18,000 to give primary school pupils access to better computers.

"The Conservatives have been in power 13 years – why are schools struggling to provide basic equipment for their pupils?" Oakden asks.

Sunak says he cares "passionately" about education.

"When it comes to school funding, this year it is going to be just shy of £60bn this year and per pupil it will be at its highest ever level," he says.

Green now asks the PM about his party losing its North Shropshire seat during a 2021 by-election to the Liberal Democrats.

The seat had been held by Tories for centuries, Green notes. "How will you win back rural voters who think you're not doing enough for them?"

As he often does, Sunak names his five priorities - and does not answer the question directly.

The PM goes on to say his decision to scale back some green policies was the "right, long term thing for the country", insisting rural communities "will save thousands of pounds".

"I want to change the direction of the country for the better," Sunak adds.

Next to grill the prime minister is BBC Radio Shropshire. Host Adam Green plays a question from Roz near Shawbury, a village in the county, who asks why rural communities are being ignored.

"We always seem to be last for hospitals and public transport," she asks.

He says he has enormous sympathy for Roz and talks about his rural community near Northallerton.

Green then asks: "Have rural communities been left behind by 13 years of Conservative government? Buses, social care, poor broadband or access to healthcare are made worse because of rurality?"

Sunak points to his net zero announcement last week, which delayed the ban on selling new petrol and diesel cars, which he says is "important for rural communities".

Finally, Jameson plays Sunak a clip from last year in which the PM told people in Tunbridge Wells that he had diverted funding away from deprived urban areas.

Sunak says he doesn't want to "pit one region against another" when levelling up the country.

He says it's important to fund not only urban areas in the north, but also coastal or rural regions in the south-east or south-west.

He insists: "I want to spread opportunity everywhere."

On HS2, Jameson asks Sunak outright, yes or no, to tell listeners in Manchester what's going on.

But - again - the PM won't be drawn on building the high speed rail line all the way to Manchester.

He does, though, say an improved east to west line, stretching from Liverpool over to the east coast, running at greater frequency, is "actually, I think, the thing that will make the biggest difference".

• HS2: What is the route and why could part of it be cancelled?

Next, Rishi Sunak travels along the airwaves up the M6 to speak with BBC Radio Manchester.

Host Anna Jameson starts by asking how the PM plans to arrive in Manchester for the Tory Party conference this weekend.

Sunak says he'll drive, due to rail strikes

Then, Jameson discusses HS2 - after pointing out the PM often flies while travelling across the UK. On that point, he says flying can be the best use of his time

Sunak is then pressed again on HS2 as Jameson - who reminds the PM that people in the north are straight-talking - asks: "Are you scrapping the HS2 line from Birmingham to Manchester?"

Again, the PM doesn't directly answer the question - which is becoming a theme on this topic.

But he says: "We already have spades in the ground [on the London to Birmingham leg] and we are getting on with it. We are getting on with delivering phase one."

Finally, Omar grills the prime minister on his plans to ban American bully XL dogs by the end of the year - after these dogs were linked to a spate of attacks.

He answers: "What’s clear is that these dogs are a danger to our communities, and we are taking action to stop these attacks and protect the public."

Rakeem Omar, like Joanita Musisi on Radio York, asks about plans for HS2 - will the line go from Birmingham to Manchester?

Rishi Sunak avoids a direct answer. He talks about levelling up and spreading opportunities across the country.

On HS2, he says there are "spades in the ground" to make sure the first part of the line is completed.

He also says the government is investing in transport people use every day. They are making sure the roads are free of potholes and the buses are frequent and reliable.

That's it for BBC Radio York, now onto the West Midlands.

Rakeem Omar starts by asking why Birmingham City Council is broke?

Sunak says the council has "massively mismanaged its finances" - and he points out it is a Labour-run authority.

"The whole point of councils is they are devolved. People of Birmingham got a glimpse of what it is like when Labour is in charge."

On Radio York, Sunak - who lives in North Yorkshire - is now challenged about the difficulties drivers face on the A64.

He says the road closures are necessary so that resurfacing can be done over two weekends.

He admits that it's "frustrating" - but says it's part of a broader plan to improve infrastructure.

First up, BBC Radio York host Joanita Musisi - who asks Sunak to keep his answers brief.

She starts by asking about HS2 - the PM reiterates no decision has been made on the Birmingham to Manchester link, and he won't comment on speculation.

Joanita asks why Sunak has failed the north's rail passnegers so badly - mentioning the troubled Transpennine Express services.

Sunak cites the pandemic, but Joanita says it was worse before the pandemic - as she references pandemonium over timetables in 2018.

First up for Rishi Sunak is his very own local BBC radio station - York.

The PM is the serving MP for Richmond, in Yorkshire.

A reminder you can listen to Sunak going toe-to-toe with local radio stations by clicking Play at the top of this page.

Rishi Sunak’s round of BBC local radio stations comes as many of them are facing funding cuts.

Last year Tim Davie, the BBC director general announced that England’s 39 local stations will have to share programmes in afternoons, evenings and weekends.

In the past, Davie has said that BBC shows and services are being cut as a result of a funding gap arising from the latest licence fee deal.

The deal saw the TV licence fee frozen for two years.

When the freeze was announced in January 2022, the-then culture secretary, Nadine Dorries, said the it would help people who are struggling with rising household costs.

Last year, during her short stint as PM, Liz Truss was grilled by eight BBC local radio presenters.

The interviews came days after her mini-budget sparked turmoil in the economy.

Truss faced tough questioning during the round of local radio interviews – you can watch and listen below.

Image source, IMAGE SOURCE,EPA-EFE/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK

Rishi Sunak is doing the rounds at local radio stations ahead of the Conservative's annual party conference.

The four-day event starts on Sunday 1 October and runs until Wednesday 4 October.

It is in Manchester this year, at the Central Convention Complex, which is a conference centre converted from the former Manchester Central railway station.

Sunak will close the conference with a keynote speech on the last day.

You can see all 128 pages of the Conservative conference agenda here, external.

Image source, EPA

One issue sure to come up is the future of the HS2 project. Here’s a brief background on what has happened in the last few days:

• The government is mulling whether to scrap further parts of the proposed HS2 line connecting London and Manchester via Birmingham
• Criticism of the possibility the leg scrapping the leg between Birmingham and Manchester has been mounting
• Rishi Sunak has declined to comment on the rumours - but is sure to be asked about them
• Those opposed to scaling back HS2 include former Tory chancellors George Osborne and Michael Heseltine
• The eastern leg - originally intended to connect Birmingham to Leeds - has already been scrapped
• HS2 as a whole has been plagued by delays, cost increases and cuts over the years

In the next hour Rishi Sunak will speak to eight BBC radio stations:

They are York, West Midlands, Manchester, Shropshire, Tees, Three Counties, Cornwall and Berkshire.

Stay with us and we’ll bring you the latest lines.

Nathan Williams
Live reporter

Hello and welcome to our live coverage, with the PM set to do a quick-fire round of interviews with local BBC stations in England.

There are a number of topics he could be quizzed on, including yesterday's approval of the UK's largest untapped oil field Rosebank, off the coast of Shetland.

Or perhaps it could be over government asylum policy after the home secretary's recent speech, or the future of HS2 rail.

Stick with us and we'll bring you all the interesting lines from the interviews.

First up, BBC Radio York at 8:00. You can listen to all the interviews as they happen by pressing play at the top of the page.