What channel is the Tory leadership debate on? How to watch on TV and online

Former chancellor and foreign secretary set to trade blows

Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss will go head-to-head in a live televised debate on Monday night as they battle it out to become the next Conservative Party leader and prime minister.

The former chancellor and foreign secretary are set to trade blows on taxes, foreign policy and security as the race to replace Boris Johnson heats up.

Monday night’s contest is the first of two TV debates this week between the final two candidates and it could have a big impact on how Tory party members choose to vote.

The latest polls suggest that Ms Truss, who did not resign from Mr Johnson's cabinet earlier this month when the government collapsed, is the clear favourite.

Sunak and Truss will go head-to-head in a TV debate (PA Media)

Allies of Mr Sunak, who became the second cabinet minister to quit the government after Sajid Javid, the former health secretary, are confident he can turn things around.

They claim that he will win more support from members when they see his TV performances against Ms Truss, who has been accused of appearing wooden and robotic in front of cameras.

What channel is the debate on?

'Our Next Prime Minister' will be broadcast on BBC One at 9pm and will also be available on iPlayer.

You will be able to watch highlights and key moments from the debate on Independent TV via this link.

Both candidates will spend the hours before the debate - the first since the number of leadership candidates was whittled down to just two - engaging in final preparations.

Sophie Raworth will host the debate in Stoke, with the BBC's political editor Chris Mason and economics editor Faisal Islam offering analysis and some follow-up questions.

The studio audience will be made up entirely of people who voted Conservative at the last general election.

After setting out their economic and immigration plans over the weekend, the two rival camps are fighting it out over foreign policy and security, with one side accusing the other of being soft on China.

Speaking to broadcasters on Monday morning, new Cabinet Office minister Johnny Mercer expressed his frustration at the bitter nature of the leadership contest.

He warned that "on the current trajectory" the Tory party would be out of power in two years.

"The puerile nature of this leadership contest is embarrassing," he said. "Time to raise the standards."

Postal ballots for the vote will be sent to Tory members on 5 August.