Theresa May accused of being ‘too scared’ to defend her record after election debate no-show

Leaders from the smaller parties debated without the PM or Labour leader

Five party leaders in the ITV Leaders' Debate, which Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn skipped (PA)

Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn have been criticised for ducking a primetime election leaders’ debate and not being able to defend their policies live on television.

The Prime Minister was accused of being “too scared” to defend her record by Leanne Wood, the leader of Plaid Cymru, one of the five opposition leaders taking part in the ITV clash.

Ms Wood was joined by Tim Farron of the Liberal Democrats, Caroline Lucas of the Green Party, Nicola Sturgeon of the SNP and Paul Nuttall of Ukip.

The politicians debated subjects ranging from Brexit to social care, the economy, education and the environment in the two-hour back-and-forth.

Mr Nuttall accused Ms May and Mr Corbyn of having not “bothered to turn up” while Ms Lucas said she felt “let down” by the leaders for the no-show.

In her absence, Ms May was accused of taking the electorate “for granted” by assuming she would win the election without debating the issues on television.

Ahead of the debate ITV’s political editor Robert Peston described the no-show by the two leaders as “pathetic”.

The Prime Minister in particular has taken criticism since calling an election for running a highly stage-managed campaign with limited access to the public.

The leaders debated for two hours (ITV)

The long and thorough exploration of the smaller parties’ policies was punctuated by lighthearted moments when the Ukip leader appeared to forget the name of Ms Wood. He twice called her “Natalie”.

The 8 June election is increasingly turning into a two-horse race if the polls are to be believed – with Labour and the Tories squeezing the smaller parties’ vote shares in a manner not seen in decades.

When asked why Mr Corbyn did not attend, Labour said British voters had a “right” to see a head-to-head debate between him and Theresa May.

“Jeremy will not take part in an opposition leaders debate. The British people have the right see a head-to-head debate between the only two people who could form the next government - and the Prime Minister's refusal is a sign of weakness, not of strength,” a spokesperson told The Independent.

The Conservatives did not respond to a request for an explanation on why the Prime Minister was not taking part.

Both Labour and the Tories’ press office social media accounts however sniped at those debating from the safety of their respective headquarters.