Events | 2009.09.03
Brown sidesteps call for TV debate
PM refuses to be drawn on whether he would take part after Sky secures agreement of opposition leaders
Gordon Brown refused to be drawn today on whether he would agree to take part in a televised debate with David Cameron and Nick Clegg before the next election.
Speaking during a cabinet meeting held at the Olympic Park in east London, the prime minister said it was "not the time" to make a decision about such a debate.
"I\'m happy to do debates all the time, but we\'re not at the point of having a general election. When we get to that point, this will be something that we will discuss."
He added: "There will come a time for these other things but it\'s not now."
Sky News said yesterday that it would broadcast such an event without Brown if he refused to take part, leaving an empty chair. David Cameron and Nick Clegg have both agreed to appear.
The UK has never had a televised debate between party leaders of the type that have characterised US presidential campaigns since 1960.
Last year\'s debates between Barack Obama and his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, and between Obama and his Republican opponent, John McCain, provided some of the campaign\'s most memorable setpieces, with Obama taking flak for comments made by his controversial pastor, and McCain making repeated references to populist icon "Joe the Plumber". The first Obama-McCain debate drew 63.2 million viewers.
Sky News is asking viewers to sign an online petition calling for a debate between Britain\'s three main party leaders.
In a letter to Brown, Cameron and Clegg, the head of Sky News, John Ryley, said: "With politics – and dare I say, many politicians – currently held in such low regard, to debate publicly the major issues facing Britain away from Westminster presents a unique opportunity to re-engage a disillusioned electorate."
Cameron said he was looking forward to taking part: "Prime minister\'s questions in the House of Commons are no substitute for a proper primetime studio debate.
"They [the public] want to see the leaders of the main political parties talking in detail about the issues that matter to them, setting out the policies on offer, and opening themselves up to public scrutiny."
Clegg said: "At a time when trust in politics is at an all-time low in the aftermath of the expenses scandal, we must find new and different ways to engage with voters. Any party leader who asks the British people for their vote should have the courage to come in front of a live audience and make their case. Anything else smacks of arrogance."
Danny Alexander, Clegg\'s chief of staff, said: "There is no reason Gordon Brown cannot confirm now that he will be happy to take part in a TV debate with the other party leaders at the next election ... Anyone who wants to lead this country should have the courage and commitment to make their case in front of an audience."
Earlier this year, Lord Mandelson, the business secretary, appeared to suggest that Brown was prepared to take part in a debate, saying he thought the prime minister "would not have a problem" with it, although Downing Street later insisted there was no change in his position.
Sky, the BBC and ITV have been holding behind-the-scenes discussions with the main political parties about holding such an event before the next general election, which must take place before 3 June 2010.
Sky\'s call yesterday – which came ahead of a meeting with the BBC and ITV tomorrow to discuss strategy – angered rival executives, who privately said the satellite broadcaster\'s push was a "marketing stunt" that could derail sensitive negotiations to get the prime minister to take part.
"We are all pretty disappointed," said one rival executive. "This is no more than a stand that might jeopardise the debate rather than make it happen."
On his Twitter page, the former deputy prime minister, John Prescott, said: "Sky\'s TV debate campaign is cheap publicity for [Rupert] Murdoch. Gordon can beat Cameron any day of the week. Doesn\'t need to go on Sky to prove it."
The Sky News political editor, Adam Boulton, denied the plan was a stunt. "What we have done is secured a leaders\' debate," he told BBC Radio 4\'s The Media Show. "Now that David Cameron and Nick Clegg have both agreed to take part, we will be staging that debate and there will be a podium and a chair for Gordon Brown. We hope he occupies it."
The BBC\'s chief political adviser, Ric Bailey, said the corporation believed working together was the best way to pull off a debate. "The best chance of making this happen is for the broadcasters to work together on a joint approach, and that still remains the BBC position."
Michael Jermey, ITV\'s director of news, current affairs and sport, added: "ITV believes that a series of leaders\' debates through the general election campaign would be good for viewers and voters. There have been conversations over recent weeks and we remain committed to finding a proposal that will make the debates a reality."
For more information, please visit
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/sep/03/brown-tv-debate-cameron-clegg
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