London: British broadcasters on Saturday said party leaders have signed up to a schedule of televised debates ahead of the May 7 general election, following weeks of tense wrangling.
“The announcement follows conversations with all the parties,” the broadcasters said in a joint statement.
Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron, Labour opposition leader Ed Miliband and Deputy PM Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, have been trading barbs over the potential format.
The main television news broadcasters have also come up with a range of different proposals in recent months.
The 2010 general election saw televised debates for the first time, with then Labour prime minister Gordon Brown, Cameron and Clegg taking part in three programmes.
This time, the programming will start on March 26 when Channel 4 and Sky News will host a 90-minute live question and answer programme featuring separate interviews with Cameron and Miliband.
A studio audience will also put questions directly to them but they will not debate with each other.
ITV will host a live, two-hour debate with seven party leaders on April 2.
“We’re delighted that there will be a debate with all the party leaders during the election campaign,” the broadcasters said.
Cameron, Miliband and Clegg will be joined by the UK Independence Party’s Nigel Farage, Natalie Bennett from the Greens, the Scottish National Party’s Nicola Sturgeon, who is also Scotland’s First Minister, and Welsh nationalist leader Leanne Wood of Plaid Cymru.
The BBC will stage an opposition leaders’ debate on April 16, featuring Miliband, Farage, Sturgeon, Bennett and Wood.
The corporation will also ensure “fair representation” of the government parties and Northern Irish parties, the statement said.
Finally on April 30, the BBC will host a programme with Cameron, Miliband and Clegg answering questions from a studio audience.
