The hour-long debate will be moderated by Julie Etchingham and take place in front of a studio audience…reports Asian Lite News
Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer will go head to head in the first televised leaders’ debate of the General Election campaign next week.
ITV confirmed the Prime Minister and the Labour leader will take part in the show at 9pm on Tuesday June 4. The hour-long debate will be moderated by Julie Etchingham and take place in front of a studio audience.
Michael Jermey, ITV’s director of news and current affairs, said: “Millions of viewers value the election debates.
“They provide a chance to see and hear the party leaders set out their pitch to the country, debate directly with each other and take questions from voters. ITV is pleased to be broadcasting the first debate in this year’s election campaign.”
The broadcaster also plans interviews with other party leaders and a multi-party debate.
But SNP leader and Scottish First Minister John Swinney said it was “ridiculous” that his party – the third largest in the Commons – had been excluded from the June 4 showdown.
Sky News said it will host a “leaders’ event” on Wednesday June 12 in Grimsby, a key marginal seat the Tories won with a majority of 7,331 in 2019.
Keir has agreed to take part, with talks ongoing with Sunak’s team, according to the broadcaster. A spokesperson for the Conservative Party told Sky that the Prime Minister would take part “and answer questions from voters, on the condition that he and Keir Starmer take those questions on stage together.”
Meanwhile, Labour’s lead over the Tories has soared to 27 points since Rishi Sunak announced the general election, a new poll has revealed.
The YouGov survey for Sky News also showed that just 36% of people who voted Conservative in 2019 plan to do so again on July 4.
The findings echo a mega poll of 12,000 people published last night which also showed Labour’s lead over the Conservatives is growing after one week of the election campaign.
According to the new YouGov poll, which was carried out on Monday and Tuesday, support for Labour has increased by three points to 47%, while backing for the Tories is down two points to just 20%.
The findings are another major blow for the prime minister as he seeks to turn around his party’s fortunes between now and polling day.
Another poll published yesterday by Survation also showed Labour extending its lead. It put the party on 47%, with the Tories down three points on 24%.
Tory bosses are currently trying to stabilise the party’s election campaign following a disastrous start marked by internal rows and embarrassing gaffes.
Sunak was left soaked after he announced the election date outside 10 Downing Street in the pouring rain, with the New Labour anthem ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ being played by a protester.
The Tories also suffered a miserable Bank Holiday Monday, with Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker breaking ranks to criticise Sunak’s flagship plan to make all 18-year-olds carry out national service.
Baker then left the campaign train to fly off to Greece for a pre-arranged holiday with his wife.
Meanwhile, outgoing Tory MP Lucy Allan was suspended by the party after she endorsed the Reform UK candidate in her former seat.
Sunak was left soaked after he announced the election date outside 10 Downing Street in the pouring rain, with the New Labour anthem ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ being played by a protester.
The Tories also suffered a miserable Bank Holiday Monday, with Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker breaking ranks to criticise Sunak’s flagship plan to make all 18-year-olds carry out national service.
Baker then left the campaign train to fly off to Greece for a pre-arranged holiday with his wife.
Meanwhile, outgoing Tory MP Lucy Allan was suspended by the party after she endorsed the Reform UK candidate in her former seat.
However, Labour’s shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, Darren Jones, urged caution over the polling. He told LBC: “The key message to voters across the country is that polls are a snapshot of today, they’re not a prediction of the future.
“Polling day is on July 4, nothing matters apart from the votes that are cast on July 4. So, for anybody that wants an end to the 14 years of Conservative government in our country, who want brilliant Labour MPs in their constituency, then they need to go and vote for that on July 4.”
The Conservatives’ general election campaign is in meltdown after a minister criticised Rishi Sunak’s flagship policy of bringing back national service.
Steve Baker said the PM’s plan for all 18-year-olds to either enlist in the Army for a year or volunteer for community service had been “sprung on” Tory candidates.
It emerged that just last week, defence minister Andrew Murrison had set out why the government did not support the return of national service.
Baker, the Northern Ireland minister, made clear his unhappiness at the policy on X (formerly Twitter) today.
He said: “I don’t like to be pedantic but a government policy would have been developed by ministers on the advice of officials and collectively agreed. I would have had a say on behalf of NI. But this proposal was developed by a political adviser or advisers and sprung on candidates, some of whom are relevant ministers.”
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