Tag: Julie Etchingham

ITV has withdrawn plans for a Brexit debate on Sunday night, meaning there is now little chance of a televised head-to-head encounter between Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May before next week’s crucial vote. Brexit: Debate between May and Corbyn will not go ahead - Politics live Read more In what might turn out to be one of the most pointless and tortuous stories of the Brexit process, the broadcaster abandoned its planned debate over the prime minister’s withdrawal deal despite two weeks of behind-the-scenes negotiations after Downing Street refused to sign up to its proposed head-to-head format. Earlier this week the BBC announced it was pulling its rival bid to host the debate after becoming exasperated with Jeremy Corbyn’s team, who were not willing to allow representatives of minor parties and proponents of a second referendum to be included on a panel. In the end all bids involving May and Corbyn collapsed. Instead, Channel 4 will push ahead with its already announced plans to host “The Real Brexit Debate”, featuring other politicians. Perhaps unexpectedly, Labour swiftly agreed, prompting BBC, ITV, and Sky News to bid against each other for the right to host the debate. It would have supplanted a celebrity special edition of The Chase. The classic Christmas movie will need to be shunted out of the way to make way for a debate at 7pm between “four high-profile politicians” representing “the main divisions in the House of Commons”. Jeremy Corbyn accepted the prime minister’s offer of a debate on Brexit immediately. He said he would relish the opportunity to debate her, and that remains the case.