United Kingdom

In a speech in London on Thursday Carwyn Jones will call on Theresa May to go head-to-head with him on the issues of the campaign.

When asked whether Mr Corbyn would attend a debate with the other party leaders if the Prime Minister is not taking part, the Labour spokesman said there "would be no point" because the "only choice in the election is a country led by Jeremy Corbyn or Theresa May".

Our PM says she wants to “unite Britain”, to bring every part of the nation together. But how does she even begin to do that if halfway-proper debates – scoring over 7 million then over 8 million viewers in 2015 – are off the agenda? Debates attract healthy audiences because they seem to be special

Mrs May said she wanted to spend the election campaign meeting voters and that she already takes part in debates with Jeremy Corbyn on a weekly basis in the House of Commons in the form of Prime Minister's questions.

Mr Rennie said the Scottish people had the "right to hear from their political leaders" and criticised the Prime Minister's decision not to take part in a TV debate.

Prime Minister Theresa May has faced criticism for refusing to take part in televised debates in the run up to the General Election. There have been calls for TV broadcasters to "empty chair" Mrs May after she said she would not debate the frontmen and women of the opposition.

Mrs May’s refusal to agree to election debates failed to stop both the BBC and ITV pressing ahead with plans to stage them without her.

Television debates have, over the last seven years, become an immovable feature of the British political landscape. A staging post on the way to the polling station, a focal point on the journey to government or opposition – and, most importantly of all, a chance to speak more-or-less directly to

“Our answer is no,” a No 10 source told the Guardian when asked about whether the prime minister would join any TV debates before the 8 June election.

Theresa May will refuse to take part in televised leaders’ debates in the run-up to the June 8 general election, Number 10 sources have indicated.