Theresa May says she won't do debate because she's not interested in TV appearances - during TV appearance

Theresa May has said she refuses to take part in tonight’s leaders debate because she’s not interested in TV appearances – during a TV interview.

As she visited a factory in Bath, the Prime Minister was quizzed on her choice to send Home Secretary Amber Rudd to the debate – despite Jeremy Corbyn announcing his involvement earlier today.

She said: ‘Well I’m interested in the fact that Jeremy Corbyn appears to be paying far more attention to how many appearances on telly he’s doing when he ought to be paying more attention to Brexit negotiations, that’s what I’m doing.’

She made her criticism of Mr Corbyn’s TV appearance during a general election campaign stop-off that was broadcast on the BBC and Sky News, and which was presumably eating into her Brexit negotiation schedule.

Mrs May was also forced to deny suggestions that she was ‘frightened’ of facing the Labour leader in a head to head debate.

She said: ‘I’ve been taking Jeremy Corbyn on directly week-in, week-out at Prime Minister’s Questions. Secondly, actually yes public scrutiny is for an election campaign and that’s why taking questions from members of the public who are going to be voting on the 8th June is so important.’

During the same appearance, Mrs May also appeared to dodge questions about whether she would resign if her party loses seats on June 8.

She defended her party earlier today, after a poll suggested the Tories may end up with a hung parliament

‘There is only one poll that matters and that is the poll that takes place on June 8, and when it comes to that poll people have a very clear choice’, she said.

MORE: Five surprising things we learnt about Jeremy Corbyn on The One Show
MORE: Five more years of Conservative rule ‘will be disastrous for Britain’, warns Jeremy Corbyn

’That choice is about who is going to be Prime Minister and it’s about who is going to lead the UK in those Brexit negotiations, who has the plan to do that, the determination to get the best deal, who has the strong and stable leadership to do that.’

The BBC leaders debate takes place in Cambridge tonight from 7.30PM to 9PM.