Starmer refuses to commit to six debates with Sunak

Sir Keir Starmer will only commit to two debates with Rishi Sunak ahead of the general election despite being challenged to six.

The Labour leader said televised debates “are always a part of an election campaign and no doubt will be a big part of what is going to happen over the next five or six weeks”.

But faced with a Conservative proposal for a record six debates, one in every week of the campaign, Labour sources said the party “will not be tearing up the format established in previous elections just to suit this week’s whims of the Tory party”.

In 2019, Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn took part in just two head-to-head debates - one on the BBC and one on ITV. Labour has agreed to the same format for the 2024 election.

In an article for The Telegraph on Thursday night, Rishi Sunak claimed Sir Keir did not have the “courage” to face him as he challenged his opposite number to six debates.

But Sir Keir denied “dodging” confrontation with the Prime Minister when challenged on his position on Friday.

He told LBC: “No, we are not dodging. TV debates are a big part of election campaigns and there will be debates in these elections.”

Sir Keir ‘keen to debate with voters’

Sir Keir said he would face the Prime Minister in debates, but was more interested in speaking to voters directly as “the arguments are going to be exactly the same because we do them every Wednesday at Prime Minister’s Questions”.

A Labour source told The Telegraph: “They debate once a week and have done for two years.”

Asked on Friday if he would be willing to take part in a debate hosted by Times Radio and more broadly if he would be willing to take part in six in total - one a week - as the Tories have suggested, Sir Keir replied: “Well look, I am as keen to debate with voters, I want to get my message to the voters.

“So I think debates are always a part of an election campaign and no doubt will be a big part of what is going to happen over the next five or six weeks.”

Pressed again if he would take part in a debate hosted by Times Radio, the Labour leader said: “Look, I will debate with voters any day of the week.”

Labour sources told the BBC: “Labour will not be tearing up the format established in previous elections just to suit this week’s whims of the Tory Party.”

Sunak ‘sounding increasingly desperate’

Meanwhile, Sir Keir said Rishi Sunak is “sounding increasingly desperate” with his calls for weekly election debates.

Asked about the Prime Minister’s claims he was not willing to take part in so many debates, Sir Keir told Sky News: “He is sounding increasingly desperate, I have to say.”

The Labour leader added: “Of course there are going to be TV debates. They are part and parcel of the election cycle now.

“I obviously want to spend as much of my time talking to voters directly.

“I can do a hundred debates with Rishi Sunak, but I know what he is going to say, he is going to say everything is fine, the cost of living crisis is over, the health service hasn’t got any problems.

“That is all he ever says.”