The topic of TV debates was the first spat between Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer as their election campaigning got underway.
The PM had challenged the Labour leader to take part in weekly TV debates covering various issues. But Starmer had refused, saying he was prioritising voters.
The Tories used the opportunity to accuse Labour of "chickening out" and branded the party's leader "spineless".
But Starmer denied he was dodging debates, telling LBC radio: “No, we are not dodging. TV debates are a big part of election campaigns and there will be debates in these elections.”
He 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”.
When are the general election TV debates?
It is believed there will be two head-to-head TV election debates betwen Sunak and Starmer - as opposed to the six the PM had reportedly askd for.
But a senior Labour source told BBC News that the leaders will take part in two debates proposed by the BBC and ITV.
Traditionally, election debates give leaders the chance to grill each another about the policies and aims in their manifestos, as well as picking up on things they have said while campaigning.
They often take place with a live audience, who get to ask questions too.
What happened during the 2019 general election TV debates?
In 2019, one head-to-head debate was held between Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn, covering issues including Brexit and the NHS.
That debate in November 2019 attracted an average audience of 6.7 million viewers to ITV - constituting a third of the British TV audience, including about 1 million viewers aged 16 to 34.
According to YouGov, the public thought there was no clear winner in the debate, with Johnson polling at 51% and Corbyn at 49%.
Other debates took place featuring key party figures - with Rishi Sunak actually appearing in one in December that year.
Before that, in the run-up to the 2017 election Prime Minister Theresa May ruled out taking part in television debates. Two leaders’ debates took place between other party leaders with the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, declining to take part in one but agreeing to the other. In the second, the Conservative Party sent the then Home Secretary, Amber Rudd.
Who is likely to do better in the TV debates?
TV debates are a good opportunity for leaders to win people over, though aren't always guaranteed to influence an election result, according to experts.
“As every day goes by, Keir Starmer looks more and more like a Prime Minister – and voters will get to see that in the TV debates," Kevin Craig, CEO and Founder of PLMR Group, one of the UK's leading PR and Communications Agencies, told Yahoo News UK.
"Sunak has shown daily so far that he has real work to do on how he presents himself. Yesterday he nearly fell of his chair, he got soaked on day one of the campaign, and is not very relaxed meeting voters - he can sometimes affect Americanisms - saying "Good morning Mam" to British hospital patients or asking Welsh football fans if they were looking forward to the Euros (when their team hasn't qualified).
“Polling shows the country clearly already like what they see in Keir, but these debates will be an excellent opportunity for him to showcase his clear plan for change under a Labour government.
“The debates will also be a fantastic opportunity for the country to see the man that Keir is. A man of decency, conviction and public service – I believe these are exactly the qualities we need from a Prime Minister after years of Tory chaos and sleaze.
“Sunak will have to up his game and also defend the record of the Conservatives’ 14 years in power, where most would agree that the country has gone backwards not forwards."
But Dr Nick Anstead, Associate Professor in the Department if Media and Communications at the London School of Economics, said we shouldn't assume we know what the format of the debates will be, "nor indeed that they will even happen".
He told Yahoo News UK: "Different politicians have different interests in negotiating different formats, and any negotiations in the UK are complicated by the multi-party nature of the election and the different party systems that operate in different parts of the country. The numbers in this election mean that the results of third parties and seat distribution in Scotland could potentially matter for the eventual outcome.
"Sunak clearly has the strongest incentive to organise a debate as he is the one who is behind in the polls. For Starmer, the incentives to participate are more complex, as he is so far ahead. However, the example of Theresa May - who was accused of dodging public scrutiny in the 2017 election - might concern Labour.
"It is also worth noting that there isn’t much evidence for debates actually having an influence over election results directly."
Read more
Five important laws that could be dropped due to Sunak's snap election (Yahoo News UK)
How do UK elections work? (PA Media)
Why has Rishi Sunak called a UK general election sooner than anticipated? (Chronicle Live)
