Channel 4 election debate: When are Jo Swinson and Angela Rayner going head-to-head?

Lib Dem leader and shadow education secretary to be quizzed on key election issues away from Brexit

Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson will go head-to-head with shadow education secretary Angela Rayner on Sunday night in the latest televised debate of the general election campaign.

Ms Swinson and Ms Rayner will be joined for Channel 4’s Everything but Brexit Debate by the co-leader of the Green Party, Jonathan Bartley, Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price and the SNP’s health spokesperson, Philippa Whitford.

The party representatives will be quizzed by an audience of undecided voters who say they are frustrated by the way Brexit has dominated the election campaign.

However, neither the Conservatives nor the Brexit Party are sending a representative to discuss a range of key election issues away from Brexit.

What time is the debate and how can I watch it?

The hour-and-a-half-long debate will be broadcast on Channel 4 from 6.30pm on Sunday evening.

It will be moderated by news presenter Cathy Newman, who will grill the party representatives on a range of topics away from Brexit, including crime, the NHS, the economy, climate change and poverty.

The audience will be made up of undecided voters with the debate staged in Leeds.

Channel 4 News Commissioning Editor, Louisa Compton said: “We know that our audiences are frustrated at how Brexit has dominated this election – squeezing out other vitally important issues. This debate – with an audience of undecided voters – will address that by giving airtime to issues that are affecting our audiences’ lives.”

Director of TV Production at ITN Productions, Ian Rumsey, added: “This election has been dominated by Brexit, but this debate is a chance to examine all the other issues that matter so much to voters, like the state of their schools, hospitals and public services. It is vital for our democracy that these issues aren’t overlooked and are scrutinised properly before polling day.”

Why are the Conservatives and Brexit Party not taking part?

Channel 4 has confirmed that only Labour, the Green Party, the SNP and Plaid Cymru will join the Everything but Brexit Debate.

It comes after both Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson refused to take part in the broadcaster’s climate debate and were instead replaced by melting ice sculptures.

The Brexit Party said it would not take part in the climate debate as they “have no faith that the broadcaster will conduct the debate in a fair and objective way”.

It was understood that Mr Johnson took exception to the idea of debating SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon as she is not a candidate in the election.

The Tories complained the broadcaster should have allowed former environment secretary Michael Gove to stand in for the prime minister, despite Channel 4 repeatedly saying that the debate was for party leaders only.

Ofcom later rejected the complaint and said that Chanel 4 took steps to ensure the programme was balanced and that the Conservative Party’s viewpoint was “adequately reflected”.

Both the Conservatives and Brexit Party have been approached for comment.

Which other election debates are planned?

A BBC Question Time special for voters aged under 30 on Monday 9 December is the final debate scheduled before the 12 December ballot.

BBC presenter Emma Barnett will host the special edition of the programme, where an audience of under-30s will question a panel of politicians representing all seven parties.