Theresa May rules out TV election debates

Prime Minister Theresa May has confirmed that she will not take part in television debates for the snap general election to be held on 8 June.

May told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that she will not be doing a television debate and insisted that she was not running scared of debating her opponents.

“We won’t be doing television debates … I believe in campaigns where politicians actually get out and about and meet with voters. That’s what I have always believed in, it’s what I still believe and I still do it - as prime minister, as a constituency MP, I still go out and knock on doors in my constituency.

“That’s what I believe in doing, that’s what I’m going to be doing around this campaign.”

In the run-up to the 2010 election there were three televised debates featuring the leaders of the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties, whereas the 2015 election saw David Cameron initially refuse before eventually appearing in one televised debate.

Downing Street's decision to ban televised debates this time has received widespread criticism.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said it was "what democracy needs and what the British people deserve", while SNP and Plaid Cymru leaders Nicola Sturgeon and Leanne Wood agreed, saying May should be "empty chaired" if she chose not to take part in TV debate.

Likewise, Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron accused the prime minister of attempting to "dodge scrutiny".

“I expect the broadcasters to do the right thing; don’t let the Conservatives call the shots. If the prime minister won’t attend, empty chair her. Corbyn can defend her position as they seem to vote the same on these matters. You have a moral duty to hold these debates,” he said.

Approval expected

May has on multiple occasions ruled out holding an election before 2020 but on Tuesday said that she needed "to strengthen our hand in EU negotiations", claiming opposition parties were “frustrating” the Brexit process.

She is expected to get approval from MPs on Wednesday for the election. Under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act introduced in 2010 by the coalition government, the prime minister needs the backing of two-thirds of MPs.

While opposition parties have criticised the u-turn, both Labour and Liberal Democrats are expected to vote in favour of the election, giving easily enough support to pass the motion.

The Labour party has rejected May’s claims that the election is about Brexit and said they will make issues about austerity and working conditions central to its campaign.

The pound hit its highest level of 2017 against the dollar on Tuesday, with analysts at JPMorgan Cazenove suggesting that markets could be pricing in the possibility of a larger Conservative majority and "this will enable her to negotiate a softer Brexit, rather than be held hostage to the 'hard Brexiters' in her current administration which only has a small majority".