Majority of public want Theresa May to take part in TV election debates, according to latest poll

Theresa May- PA wire

Theresa May is facing fresh calls to take part in TV election debates as a new poll suggests the majority of the public want the Prime Minister to go head-to-head with her opponents.

A BMG Research survey found that 54 per cent of the public believe the leaders of the UK’s major political parties should participate in live contests ahead of the general election on 8 June.

Some 25 per cent disagreed and 21 per cent said they did not know if party leaders should take part in the debates, with 44 per cent of Tory voters in favour to 40 per cent against.

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron renewed his call for broadcasters to “empty chair” the Prime Minister to highlight her absence from the debates, arguing they had a “moral duty” to push ahead with the events.

“This poll is welcome news and the Prime Minister needs to listen and agree to all the debates. The time for ducking them is over,” he told the Independent.

“I believe the British people deserve to see their potential leaders talking about the future of our country.”

He added: “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.”

A Labour source said: “This shows what Labour have said all along – the public wants debates but the Prime Minister is running scared.

“With an NHS in crisis, school class sizes rising and working families set to be worse off to the tune of £1,400 a year, perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise that Theresa May doesn’t want to defend her record in the front of the Great British public.”

Last week ITV announced it plans to stage an election debate despite May ruling out taking part in TV events.

Speaking to the Today programme, she said: “I’m constantly debating with my opponents. We won’t be doing the television debates.”

She added: “I’m not [running scared], because I believe in campaigns where politicians actually get out and about and meet the voters. It’s what I’ve always believed in, it’s what I still believe in – 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 and that’s what I’m going to be doing around this campaign.”

According to the Independent the Prime Minister’s aides are in talks with the BBC, with a source saying that if anything is agreed it would not be like TV debates that have taken place in previous years since 2010.

“We’re not taking part in head-to-head debates on TV,” the source added.

Debates were first broadcast in 2010, when Gordon Brown, Nick Clegg and David Cameron faced off, while there were a series of televised events for the 2015 election and Brexit referendum.