General election: Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn to clash in head-to-head televised leaders’ debate

Liberal Democrats complain of 'cosy stitch-up' after Jo Swinson is not invited

Liberal Democrats have accused Conservatives and Labour of a “cosy stitch-up” after it was announced that the first TV leaders’ debate of the general election campaign will feature Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn, but not Jo Swinson.

ITV announced that the debate on 19 November will be a head-to-head between the leaders of the two major parties, with other parties invited to join a programme later that evening to discuss the showdown.

The announcement came just two days after Ms Swinson, the Lib Dem leader, accused Mr Johnson of “running away” from debate with her.

Chuka Umunna, the Lib Dem foreign affairs spokesman, said: “Whatever your politics, this is discriminatory, undemocratic and wrong. Not only is it two blokes deciding to have a debate excluding women, we are not a two-party country and the sizeable proportion of the public who want to stop Brexit won’t have a voice in the room.”

And a senior party source said: “This is a cosy stitch-up between the two establishment party leaders to try to shut out the woman leader of the strongest party of Remain. They’re running scared, but we aren’t going to let them get away.”

Mr Johnson declined to appear in a number of TV debates in the Conservative leadership contest earlier this year, and it is understood that he is resisting taking part in broadcasts featuring leaders of parties other than the official opposition.

In the House of Commons on Wednesday, Ms Swinson asked Mr Johnson: “Voters deserve better than a choice between the two tired old parties, and in the TV debates people deserve to hear from a leader who wants to stop Brexit and build a better future, so will the prime minister commit today to take part in those three-way debates, or is he going to run scared of debating with ‘a girly swot’?

Following the announcement of the ITV debate, Mr Corbyn said in a tweet: “This is a once in a generation election. So it’s welcome that Boris Johnson has accepted our challenge of a head-to-head TV debate.

“The choice could not be clearer: Boris Johnson’s Conservatives protecting the privileged few or a Labour government on the side of the many.”

Mr Johnson said he was “looking forward to making the positive case to the country that we should get Brexit done and deliver on the people’s priorities – our NHS, schools, tackling crime and the cost of living”.

Presenter Julie Etchingham (ITV)

The leaders’ debate will be chaired by ITV News presenter Julie Etchingham and will be followed by a live interview-based programme in which other parties will be able to comment on the head-to-head debate and set out their own electoral agenda.

ITV said it plans to hold another debate later in the campaign at which the Liberal Democrats, the SNP, the Brexit Party, Plaid Cymru as well as Labour and the Conservative Party will have the opportunity to be represented by their leader or another senior figure.

Northern Ireland and Wales will have their own debates specifically for the nations. STV, which broadcasts to parts of Scotland, plan to hold its own debate with Scottish candidates.

Ms Etchingham earlier this year hosted a debate with Conservative leadership candidates Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt.