How to watch Tuesday’s debate

As the UK gets set to go to the polls on 4 July, voters can watch leaders pitch their ideas in a series of televised debates on the BBC and ITV.

Later, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Keir Starmer will go head-to-head in the first debate of the general election campaign.

It is being aired at 21:00 on Tuesday, on ITV1, ITVX and STV and STV Player.

News presenter Julie Etchingham, who has hosted debates in the previous three elections, in 2015, 2017 and 2019, is moderating the hour-long programme in front of a studio audience in Salford, Greater Manchester.

And it is followed, at 22:10, by The ITV Election Interviews, a live programme to which leaders of the Liberal Democrats, the Scottish National Party, Reform UK and the Green Party have been invited.

Tuesday’s debate, on day 14 of the campaign, is the first of several televised discussions involving political leaders and using different formats in the run-up to the vote on 4 July.

The BBC is hosting a seven-party debate in London on Friday.

BBC broadcaster Mishal Husain will moderate the debate between leading figures from Great Britain’s seven biggest political parties. It will be broadcast from 19:30-21:00.

There will be further programmes, including:

• Question Time Leaders’ Special: Thursday 20 June, York – Fiona Bruce will present the show involving leaders of the four biggest political parties in Great Britain, broadcast from 20:00-22:00
• Head-to-head debate: Wednesday 26 June, Nottingham – Sophie Raworth will host the event involving Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer. This is set to be the last leaders’ TV debate of the election campaign and will be broadcast from 21:00-22:00

The three BBC programmes will be broadcast on BBC One, local radio across the country and will be available on BBC iPlayer.

They will also be available on the BBC News channel in the UK and overseas.

Additional dedicated debates for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland include:

• Scotland: Debate Night – Election 2024 Leaders’ Special will be broadcast on BBC One Scotland at 20:00 on Tuesday 11 June. Featuring the leaders of five Scottish parties, it will be hosted by Stephen Jardine in front of a live audience
• Wales: Bethan Rhys Roberts will host the Wales Leaders’ Debate live from Central Square, BBC Wales’ broadcast hub in Cardiff, on Friday 21 June, at 19:00
• Northern Ireland: Tara Mills will moderate the Northern Ireland Leaders’ Debate on BBC One Northern Ireland on Thursday 27 June

BBC News has a wide range of content planned to guide you through the campaign, right up to election night on 4 July.

Whether you are in the UK or overseas, its comprehensive coverage will be available across every platform.

Follow all the election developments on the BBC News website and app.

Daily live pages will bring you the latest from the campaign trail and you can follow General election 2024 for simple explainers and in-depth analysis from BBC News political correspondents and experts.

There will also be full live coverage of all of the BBC TV debates.

International users can access all BBC News election content on BBC.com

On election night, expect the full results as they come in.

And BBC News cameras and reporters across the country will feed live pages and video streams, so you will not miss a thing.

Sign up for our Election Essential newsletter to read top political analysis, gain insight from across the UK and stay up to speed with the big moments in the general election campaign. It’ll be delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

Laura Kuenssberg and Clive Myrie will host BBC News’ election night coverage, along with BBC political editor Chris Mason and other experts.

The programme will be on BBC One in England, BBC Two in Wales and Northern Ireland, and the BBC News channel for audiences in Scotland and overseas.

Dedicated election results programmes on BBC One in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales will be presented by Martin Geissler, Mark Carruthers, and Nick Servini respectively, with Anne McAlpine hosting a Gaelic-language election round-up on BBC Alba.

You can also keep up to date with the campaign through the BBC News channel’s daily coverage and the Election 2024 livestream on BBC iPlayer.

The BBC News flagship Newscast programme has been rebranded as Electioncast for the duration of the campaign.

Adam Fleming and the BBC News political team will provide a daily update on all things election.

On election night, they will also invite listeners to join their audience watch-along.

BBC Radio 4’s election night coverage will be hosted by Rachel Burden and Nick Robinson.

For analysis, they will be joined by BBC News chief political correspondent Henry Zeffman.

Global audiences can follow events, with a mix of dedicated UK-election coverage and international news, through the BBC World Service.