General election 2024: Sunak v Starmer - how to watch Tuesday’s leaders' debate

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer will go head to head in tonight’s televised leaders' debate. Picture: PA/PA Wire

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Keir Starmer will go head-to-head in the first televised UK leaaders’ debate of the 2024 general election tonight, Tuesday, June 4.

ITV is hosting the event and the hour-long debate between the two men kicks off at 9pm, chaired by ITV News presenter Julie Etchingham, who has hosted debates for every UK election since 2015.

Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer will go head to head in tonight’s debate. Picture: PA/PA Wire | PA

It will take place in front of a studio audience. And it will be broadcast on ITV1, ITVX, STV, and STV Player.

The debate will be followed by The ITV Election Interviews at 10:10pm, hosted by Anushka Asthana. The leaders of the Liberal Democrats, the SNP, Reform UK and the Greens have been invited to take part in the programme, which will feature live extended interviews.

But the SNP has claimed its exclusion from the debate means Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer are "running scared of scrutiny". And the party’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said it was a “disgrace” that there would be no Scottish voice in the debate.

ITV has announced it will broadcast a second election debate on Thursday, June 13, which will feature leaders or representatives from seven political parties - Conservative, Labour, Lib Dem, SNP, Reform UK, Green and Plaid Cymru. The 90-minute debate will be moderated by Julie Etchingham,