Starmer declines to join one of BBC election debates

The BBC has announced a slew of election debates – but Sir Keir Starmer has already declined to take part in one of them.

The Labour leader has agreed to face Rishi Sunak in a head-to-head debate hosted by Sophie Raworth in Nottingham on June 26.

Sir Keir will also take part in a two-hour Question Time special with the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and the SNP on June 20.

But Labour said he would not be attending a debate between seven parties on June 7.

Downing Street said Mr Sunak had not yet decided whether he would attend the events on June 7 or June 20.

It comes after the Tories challenged Sir Keir to go head-to-head with the Prime Minister in a record six TV debates – one every week of the campaign.

Conservative sources dubbed the Opposition leader “the knight that won’t fight” and “Sir Fear Starmer” after he failed to agree to the demand.

It comes as Mr Sunak and the Labour leader prepare for their first televised leaders’ debate of the election campaign, which will air on ITV on Tuesday night.

The debate will offer Mr Sunak the chance to try and change the dynamics of a race in which Labour remains far ahead of the Tories in opinion polls.

Mr Sunak’s team believe he has a chance of pinning Sir Keir down on the economy particularly, and of demonstrating that the Labour leader does not have a comprehensive plan for government.

It comes after the first week and a half of campaigning in which the Tories announced a string of policies while Labour were engulfed in a row over whether Diane Abbott would be allowed to stand as an MP for the party.

The BBC’s coverage will include a June 7 debate hosted by Mishal Husain between leading figures from the Conservative Party, Labour Party, Liberal Democrats, Scottish National Party (SNP), Plaid Cymru, Green Party and Reform.

The audience and members of the public will have the chance to ask questions during the debate in London.

There will also be a two-hour long Question Time leaders’ special, hosted by Fiona Bruce, on June 20.

The leaders of the four biggest political parties – the Conservative Party, Labour Party, Liberal Democrats and SNP – have been invited to answer questions from the studio audience for 30 minutes each.

BBC journalist Nick Robinson has also invited the leaders of the seven biggest political parties in Britain to be interviewed for Panorama specials, airing over the next four weeks.

Additional dedicated debates will also take place in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

As well as Tuesday’s debate, ITV has already announced plans for a debate with leading figures from the seven main political parties on June 13.

There will also be a Sky News debate on June 12, in which Sir Keir and Mr Sunak have been invited to take questions from a live audience. Sir Keir has confirmed that he will take part but negotiations are ongoing with the Prime Minister’s team.

A number of the TV debates are set to clash with football matches in the Euros tournament. Most notably, the BBC seven-way debate on June 7 will go up against the England vs Iceland warm-up match.

Jonathan Munro, deputy chief executive of BBC News, said: “TV debates have become a key part of elections in the UK, giving voters the chance to hear leaders and senior politicians debate policies and ideas directly with each other, which rarely happens on the campaign trail.

“The BBC brings people together. Providing a shared space for people to debate and discuss is a vital part of our mission, so I’m delighted we’re holding this series of debates and election specials, hosted by such talented presenters.”

All three of the BBC programmes will air on BBC One, BBC News and will be available on BBC iPlayer.