What time is BBC election debate on TV tonight and who is in the line-up?

Seven major political parties will battle it out tonight in the first of the BBC's televised general election debates.

The parties will be trying to win as much support as they can from the public ahead of voters heading to the polls on July 4, with Labour currently enjoying a double-digit lead in the polls.

Tonight's debate, moderated by Mishal Husain and filmed in London, will be between leading figures from Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, Reform UK, the Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru and the Green Party.

READ MORE: Full list of upcoming televised general election debates on BBC and ITV

Party leaders Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer, who went head to head earlier in the week will not be taking part in tonight's debate. Instead, Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt and deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner will take their places.

The BBC has said the seven-handed debate will take place in front of an audience "which reflects the broad electoral map of Great Britain". Audience members will be allowed to ask questions and the BBC has also asked members of the public to submit questions online ahead of the debate.

At the end of the debate each of the participants will be invited to give a 30-second closing statement.

What time is the debate?

The BBC's seven-way debate will be broadcast from 7.30pm to 9pm on Friday night (June 7). It will be shown on BBC One and BBC News and will be available on BBC iPlayer.

Who is representing each party?

Conservative Party - Penny Mordaunt

Penny Mordaunt, 51, was appointed Leader of the House of Commons by Liz Truss, a role that she retained in Mr Sunak's Cabinet.

As Lord President of the Privy Council and bearer of the Sword of State, she had a role in the coronation of Charles III and Camilla in May last year, presenting the Jewelled Sword of Offering. Wearing a teal cape dress embroidered with golden ferns and a matching headpiece, the politician gained a lot of attention on social media for her role during the service.

The MP, who first won the seat of Portsmouth North in 2010, ran for Conservative Party leader in both contests in 2022.

Labour Party - Angela Rayner

Angela Rayner is the deputy leader of the Labour Party and MP for Ashton-under-Lyne. She was also appointed shadow secretary of levelling Up, housing and communities in 2023.

The 44-year-old, from Stockport, has stood in for Sir Keir on multiple occasions during Prime Minister's Questions.

Reform Party - Nigel Farage

Nigel Farage was announced as the new leader of Reform UK earlier this week, taking over from Richard Tice, after previously serving as the party's honorary president. He is a well-known figure in politics having previously led UKIP and for his campaigning around Brexit.

He is standing as a candidate in the general election in Clacton, Essex, which will be his eighth bid to become an MP.

The 60-year-old also appeared in the most recent series of ITV's I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!, where he won third place.

Scottish National Party - Stephen Flynn

Aberdeen MP Stephen Flynn has served as the leader of the SNP in Westminster since December 2022, succeeding Ian Blackford.

Liberal Democrats - Daisy Cooper

Daisy Cooper is the deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats under Ed Davey. She won the seat of St Albans in 2019, the party's first victory in the constituency.

Green Party - Carla Denyer

Carla Denyer is co-leader of the Greens alongside Adrian Ramsay. The pair were appointed in 2021. She is a former Bristol city councillor and is standing in the constituency of Bristol Central in the general election.

Plaid Cymru - Rhun ap Iorwerth

Rhun ap Iorwerth has been serving as the leader of Plaid Cymru since June last year. The 51-year-old has been the Member of the Senedd (MS) for Ynys Môn since 2013. He previously worked as a journalist for BBC Wales.

Who is moderating?

Newsreader Mishal Husain is one of the main presenters of BBC Radio 4's Today programme. She is also an occasional relief presenter on the BBC News at Ten and the BBC News at Six and has hosted BBC 2's Newsnight on occasion too.

Husain, 51, joined the BBC in 1998 as a junior producer with the BBC News 24 channel before moving into presenting. She has been a presenter on the Today programme since 2013.