Grant Shapps, the Tory chairman, has described a proposed online debate between the leaders of five political parties as a “plausible way forward” if talks break down between Downing Street and the terrestrial broadcasters.
Shapps described the proposal as an interesting idea, while the Ukip leader, Nigel Farage, said he would be prepared to take part in the debate, being organised by the Guardian, the Telegraph and YouTube.
Shapps told the Daily Politics on BBC2: “I still think it would be preferable to have it on the main TV channels. But if the broadcasters can’t sort it out then yes this seems like a plausible way forward to me.”
The Tory chairman made his remarks as Farage accepted an invitation to take part. Invitations have also been sent to David Cameron, the Labour leader, Ed Miliband, the Lib Dem leader, Nick Clegg, and the Green leader, Natalie Bennett.
Farage told the Telegraph: “Scrutiny is an important part of democracy, and for this reason I am delighted to accept the Telegraph/Guardian/YouTube invitation to this debate – so that I can make the case to the British electorate on why they should vote Ukip.
“I hope that the prime minister will muster up the courage to stand by his own words, and show up to try and defend his record in government. Mr Cameron has failed on nearly every pledge he made to the British public in 2010, and it is evident he’s afraid of butting heads with Ukip on immigration, the EU, our NHS, defence, education policy and more.”
The Ukip leader spoke out after the consortium proposed moving forward the date of its event to accommodate Cameron’s wishes. In a letter to party leaders, the media organisations say they are now offering to move forward the date of its proposed debate by a few days to 26 or 27 March – before the start of the short campaign – again inviting the five main UK-wide parties. This would mean including the leaders of the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Ukip and the Green party. The nationalist parties from Scotland and Wales would be excluded, as well as the Democratic Unionists.
Labour sources said they would look at the proposal by the media consortium. But a spokesman said the revised offer had come at an inconvenient time as the political parties continue to negotiate with the terrestrial broadcasters.
Miliband indicated that he was still determined to press ahead with the debates proposed by the terrestrial broadcasters as he accused the prime minister of resorting to “pathetic, feeble excuses” after No 10 announced that Cameron would refuse to take part in a head-to-head televised debate with him during the general election campaign.
The broadcasters have proposed holding two debates among the seven party leaders in early and mid-April and one head-to-head debate between Miliband and Cameron on 30 April. The prime minister has agreed to take part in one debate with six other party leaders which must take place in the week beginning Monday 23 March – before the formal start of the short campaign.
In their letter, executives from the consortium write: “We note that the prime minister has said he is willing to take part in a debate in the week beginning 23 March and that the leader of the opposition is prepared to debate ‘any time, any place, anywhere’. The consortium had initially proposed a date of around 30 March, and an earlier date might remove one stumbling block to the debates occurring.
“We also note that the impasse in negotiations with the broadcasters means that meaningful television debates now look unlikely to take place.”
The prime minister has insisted he will take part in only one debate involving seven parties, including the nationalist parties in Wales and Scotland. But the broadcasters say they are going ahead with their plans to stage three debates including a head-to-head between Miliband and Cameron. It is not clear how these debates could be staged within the broadcasting laws on balance if Cameron declines to attend.
In a further complication, the DUP has threatened legal action if they continue to be excluded, making the chances of any debate taking place increasingly slim. No 10’s director of communications, Craig Oliver, has said Cameron’s offer to attend only one debate is his final offer, and there has been no sign of any flexibility in Cameron’s subsequent remarks.
But the digital consortium is hoping to keep its offer in play. They write: “We can confirm that the digital debate would be available live, and after the event, for any and all TV networks to broadcast in addition to being on YouTube platforms.”
They argue: “Participation in the digital debate holds many benefits over and above the leaders’ debates held before the last general election. At this year’s general election, the internet will be the main source of news for the majority of UK voters, especially amongst those aged under 44.
“The Guardian, the Telegraph and YouTube will collectively provide the best possible online platform for such a debate, with direct connections to other election resources and party websites. Together, the partners provide scale and balance, backed by leading technical expertise and world-class political journalism.”
According to Emma Reynolds, the shadow housing minister, Miliband has been clear that he would debate with Cameron “any time, any place”.
