General election TV debates: How to watch, dates, channels and who will take part
Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer will face each other in the final televised debate of the campaign on 26 June
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Broadcasters have finalised their line-up of televised debates ahead of the general election on 4 July.
The BBC confirmed it will host the final head-to-head debate between prime minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer on 26 June.
The debate will be hosted by newsreader Sophie Raworth and take place in Nottingham, airing on BBC One and BBC News. The first head-to-head between Sir Keir and Mr Sunak was broadcast on ITV on June 4. Sky News also hosted a leaders’ debate on June 12.
Elsewhere on the BBC, Mishal Husain hosted a debate on June 7 between leading figures from the Conservative Party, Labour Party, Liberal Democrats, Scottish National Party (SNP), Plaid Cymru, Green Party and Reform UK.
Also included in the BBC’s election coverage is 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 - will 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 in the run up to the general election.
Additional dedicated debates will also take place in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
When are the debates taking place?
BBC One seven-leader election debate – 7 June
BBC One Scotland’s debate between all Scottish party leaders - 11 June
Sky News leaders’ debate – 12 June
ITV multi-party debate – 13 June
BBC Question Time special – 20 June
BBC One Wales’s debate between Welsh party leaders – 21 June
BBC ONE prime ministerial debate – 26 June
BBC One Northern Ireland’s debate between Irish party leaders – 27 June
ITV will also broadcast a series of interview specials with party leaders, with all the major parties featuring over four shows. They take place on 6, 12, 24 and 27 June
If you’re travelling abroad and want to stream the Election Debate then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get the best VPN deals on the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments