BBC General Election debate line up as Sunak and Starmer replaced (2024)

Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer won't take part in the BBC's General Election debate (Image: Getty)

Tonight will see the main parties face off in a General Election debate on the BBC which promises to be lively, despite Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer's absence.

It comes after the Prime Minister and Labour leader clashed live on ITV in the first TV showdown on Tuesday (June 4) when Mr Sunak accused Sir Keir's party of plotting to hit households with a £2,000 tax bill.

Viewers of that debate saw Sir Keir struggling to outline Labour's plans as opposed to the party's usual sniping from the sidelines.

Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt and Labour's Deputy Leader Angela Rayner will replace Mr Sunak and Sir Keir tonight.

They will be joined by Reform UK's Nigel Farage, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper, SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn, Carla Denyer of the Green Party and Rhun ap Iorwerth of Plaid Cymru.

Here Express.co.uk takes a look at the party leaders and candidates vying for your vote.

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Rishi Sunak is widely believed to have come out on top in ITV's General Election debate (Image: Getty)

While it hasn't been confirmed why Rishi Sunak isn't taking part in the BBC debate, Sir Keir Starmer is understood to be at a party meeting, possibly to finalise Labour's manifesto.

Mr Sunak and Sir Keir are expected to go head to head in a General Election debate on the BBC on June 26.

Hosted by BBC newsreader Sophie Raworth and taking place in Nottingham, the debate will air on BBC One and BBC News.

Mishal Husain will host tonight's debate during which members of the public will have the chance to ask questions.

Express.co.uk approached the Conservatives and Labour to ask why Mr Sunak and Sir Keir are not participating in the BBC debate but both parties failed to respond.

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Penny Mordaunt replaces Rishi Sunak in the debate (Image: Getty)

Leader of the House of Commons, Penny Mordaunt has been tipped as a potential future leader of the Conservative Party.

She played a key role in the Coronation of King Charles in May last year, carrying a ceremonial sword before the monarch during the historic Westminster Abbey service.

A staunch Brexiteer, Ms Mordaunt helped to spearhead the Leave campaign and has been a staunch defender of the UK's exit from the European Union.

No stranger to TV appearances, Ms Mordaunt donned a swimsuit for ITV's Splash. A Royal Navy Reservist, she represented Portsmouth North as MP in the last Parliament and is standing in the same seat in the General Election.

Angela Rayner stands in for Keir Starmer (Image: Getty)

Raised on a council estate, Stockport born Ms Rayner left school at 16 with no qualifications and expecting a baby. A former care worker, she became a union rep and admits to being "mouthy".

After rising through the ranks of the union movement, in 2015 Ms Rayner became Ashton-under-Lyne's first female MP and was promoted to Labour's whip's office by former leader Jeremy Corbyn.

She was elected Deputy Leader in 2020, having held roles as Shadow Pensions Minister and Shadow Education Secretary.

Ms Rayner was forced to apologise in 2021 after calling the Conservatives "scum" at Labour's party conference, admitting she would not use the same language again.

She faced questions over payment of tax after the sale of her council house in Stockport in 2015 amid claims the property wasn't her main address. Labour's deputy denied wrongdoing and police confirmed in May they would take no further action after a "thorough" investigation.

Stephen Flynn will represent the SNP at the BBC General Election debate (Image: Getty)

Born in Dundee, the SNP's Westminster leader began his political life as an aide to former SNP MP Callum McCaig and worked in former SNP MSP Maureen Watt's office.

He led the SNP group at Aberdeen City Council until he was elected to Parliament in 2019.

Mr Flynn was promoted to the front bench in 2021 and went on to replace Ian Blackford as SNP Westminer leader in December 2022.

Touted as a potential future leader of the SNP, the Dundee United fan appears to still have Westminster in his sights, given he is standing as the SNP's candidate for Aberdeen South.

Rhun ap Iorwerth is the leader of Plaid Cymru (Image: Getty)

A former BBC Wales journalist, Mr ap Iorwerth is leader of Plaid Cymru.

Born in Tonteg near Pontypridd, both Mr ap Iorwerth's parents were teachers and both promoters of the Welsh language.

He told Wales Online that the death of his mum played a role in his path into politics in 2013, when he stood for Plaid Cymru in the Senedd seat of Ynys Môn.

Mr ap Iorwerth became leader of Plaid Cymru in 2023 after Adam Price resigned in the wake of a damning report on misogyny, bullying and harassment in the party, which is the third largest in the Welsh Senedd.

Carla Denyer is co-leader of the Green Party (Image: Getty)

A vegan, Ms Denyer shares the leadership of the Green Party with Adrian Ramsay.

She joined the party in 2011 and was elected to Bristol City Council in 2015. Ms Denyer is standing in Bristol Central in the General Election.

A graduate of Durham University, Ms Denyer worked in the renewables sector and identifies herself as bisexual or pansexual, according to the BBC.

The party is looking to get two Green MPs elected this year.

Daisy Cooper will stand in for Sir Ed Davey (Image: Getty)

Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Ms Cooper campaigned for LBGT+ rights overseas before she was elected MP for St Albans, where she is standing this year.

She has also worked for free press campaign group, Hacked Off.

As the former MP for St Albans, Ms Cooper was an advocate for pubs and local business, calling for reform of business rates.

Ms Cooper hit the headlines this week when she photo-bombed the Prime Minister on the campaign trail by sailing past Mr Sunak on the campaign trail in a boat carrying Lib Dem supporters.

Sir Ed Davey isn't taking part in the BBC's General Election debate tonight.

A Liberal Democrat spokesperson said Sir Ed would love to be in the debates with Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak, adding that according to polls the public agree.

The spokesperson said: "Ed's energetic tour schedule sees him meeting voters and doing interviews across the country.

"Given both the other main party leaders chose not to take part, our Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper will be putting the case to the country for the Liberal Democrats.

"Daisy will be championing our plans to fix the NHS and care and tackle the cost of living crisis after years of Conservative chaos."

Nigel Farage has been tipped to win the BBC debate (Image: Getty)

Mr Farage's appearance in the BBC debate comes at the end of a week in which one of Brexit's key architects U-turned and announced his candidacy.

This is the eighth time Mr Farage has stood for Parliament. Described by the BBC as "the face of Euroscepticism" in Britain, the stockbroker's son who attended private school Dulwich College had insisted he would not stand in the General Election.

The former GB News presenter launched his campaign in Clacton-on-Sea after taking over the reins of Reform UK from Richard Tice.

He has been tipped to wipe the floor with Ms Rayner and Ms Mordaunt in tonight's debate by bettingsites.co.uk.

Reform UK wants to freeze "non-essential" immigration, scrap the Windsor Framework and simplify the tax system.

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