The Drum Awards for Marketing - Extended Deadline

-d -h -min -sec

BBC Plaid Cymru Liberal Democrats

ITV to kick off party leaders' debates on 2 April

Author

By John McCarthy, Opinion Editor

February 23, 2015 | 2 min read

The first 2015 general election party leaders' debate will be run on ITV after broadcasters BBC, ITV, Sky and Channel 4 drew lots to decide which of the televised clashes they would be responsible for airing.

The event will be hosted by Julie Etchingham on 2 April. A major stumbling block for the televised events however is prime minister David Cameron's reluctance to particpate, a move Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage jointly branded as “unacceptable”.

ITV’s debate will feature the leaders of seven of the UK's top parties; the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats, UKIP, SNP, Green Party and Plaid Cymru.

In plans published today (Monday 23 February), it also emerged that the BBC will host the second debate on 16 April yet again between seven parties. Long-serving Question Time host David Dimbleby will moderate.

A third debate will be co-hosted by Sky News and Channel 4 on 30 April and will see the Labour and Conservative leaders face off.

The revised debates, and the inclusion of seven parties in two debates, comes after David Cameron cited the absence of the Greens as the reason for his reluctance to participate in the debates.

BBC Plaid Cymru Liberal Democrats

More from BBC

View all

Trending

Industry insights

View all
Add your own content +