Advertisement

PM Accused Of Bullying Broadcasters On Debates

David Cameron has been accused of trying to "bully" broadcasters into dropping plans for a head-to-head election debate with Ed Miliband.

The Prime Minister has said he will only take part in one TV election debate, ruling out a contest with the Labour leader.

Downing Street now says the Prime Minister is only prepared to participate in a 90-minute debate with at least seven party leaders before the end of March.

Douglas Alexander MP, Labour's chair of election strategy, said: "This is an outrageous attempt from the Prime Minister to bully the broadcasters into dropping their proposals for a head-to-head debate between David Cameron and Ed Miliband."

Speaking on his weekly LBC radio phone-in Nick Clegg offered to stand in for Mr Cameron in a debate with the Labour leader.

He said: "Having been in government for five years, I also have this old-fashioned view that I want to defend the record of this Government.

"If David Cameron is too busy or too important to defend the record of this Government with Ed Miliband, then I offer myself. I'll do it instead."

The ultimatum was made in a letter sent to Sue Inglish, the chair of the broadcasters' leaders' debates committee, by Mr Cameron's communications director Craig Oliver.

Tony Blair's former spokesman Alastair Campbell accused Mr Cameron of "weasling and wriggling" out of the debates and said he was guilty of "moral cowardice".

He said: "He doesn't want to do it. He is worried that he is going to lose."

And he added: "I think it underlines the utter contempt David Cameron actually has for people."

Mr Campbell said people in the US and Europe would be looking at the debate row and thinking Britain was "back in the Middle Ages".

Lib Dem election campaign leader Lord Ashdown told Sky News Mr Cameron's proposals amounted to a "90-minute, bite-size squabblefest" and accused the Prime Minister of being "frit".

He pointed out that if the debates were held before the end of March as Mr Cameron has requested then the public would be asking questions before the Tories had even released their election manifesto.

:: Sky News' Stand Up Be Counted campaign

A joint statement issued by the broadcasters said: "The BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky have received an email from the Prime Minister's office with a proposal.

"The broadcasters are committed to providing our audiences with election debates. 22 million people watched the debates in 2010 and we believe the debates helped people to engage with the election.

"The broadcasters have set out their proposals and continue to talk to all the relevant parties on an equitable basis.

"We will respond to the Conservatives' proposal in due course."

Sky News and Channel 4 have proposed to host a head-to-head between the two candidates on 30 April.

The BBC and ITV have proposed each staging a debate involving Mr Cameron, Mr Miliband, Nick Clegg, the Greens' Natalie Bennett, Nigel Farage of UKIP, the SNP's Nicola Sturgeon and Plaid Cymru's Leanne Wood.

A Sky News poll found 79% of people would be less likely to vote for a party leader who refused to take part in a debate.

Mr Miliband earlier told Sky News that Mr Cameron should "stop making excuses" and commit to a head-to-head TV debate.

And in angry exchanges during Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, Mr Cameron was asked three times if he would debate with Ed Miliband before the election as he has said.

After the final question the Prime Minister replied: "I have been very clear, I have said get on with the debates before the election campaign begins, I think we should start now."