Sunak and Starmer set for Nottingham showdown

Nottingham is set to host what could be a vital televised debate between Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Keir Starmer – just a week before the country goes to the polls.

The BBC has announced that the head-to-head debate, the last TV encounter of the election campaign, will be broadcast live from the city from 9-10pm. Although the venue of the debate hasn’t been revealed, it will be hosted by Sophie Raworth.

The event will be broadcast on BBC One, BBC News, and local radio across the country and will be available on BBC iPlayer. There will be full live online coverage.

The Nottingham debate is part of a series of shoot-outs between the main political parties to be broadcast by the BBC in the run-up to the election.

Jonathan Munro, deputy CEO of BBC News, said: “TV debates have become a key part of elections in the UK, giving voters the chance to hear leaders and senior politicians debate policies and ideas directly with each other, which rarely happens on the campaign trail.

“The BBC brings people together. Providing a shared space for people to debate and discuss is a vital part of our mission, so I’m delighted we’re holding this series of debates and election specials, hosted by such talented presenters.”