Contenders ready! Penny Mordaunt, Angela Rayner and Nigel Farage arrive for a spicy BBC election debate TONIGHT amid a furious row over Rishi Sunak missing a D-Day event in Normandy
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Penny Mordaunt and Angela Rayner have arrived to do battle in a BBC election debate with Nigel Farage tonight after a chaotic day on the election campaign trail.
The trio are among seven senior party figures who will slug it out on live television later, amid a furious row over Rishi Sunak's decision to skip a D-Day event.
Sources close to Mr Farage confirmed he would use the debate to bring up The PM's decision to return from Normandy early yesterday to film a TV interview.
The PM this morning apologised for missing a major international D-Day ceremony and said it was a 'mistake' for him to leave before commemoration events were over.
Mr Farage, who was in northern France yesterday in a personal capacity, has questioned why Mr Sunak felt he could skip the event with other world leaders.
The row has overshadowed Tory attempts to get on the front foot with a child benefit announcement amid opinion polls that show the party trailing Labour by a long way, with Mr Farage's Reform UK breathing down their neck.
Penny Mordaunt will represent the Tories tonight
Angela Rayner will represent Labour
Nigel Farage, who was in Normandy yesterday in a personal capacity, has questioned why Rishi Sunak felt he could skip a major D-Day event with other world leaders
Earlier this week, viewing figures showed millions of Britons snubbed Tuesday night's first showdown between the PM and Sir Keir Starmer on primetime ITV
Ms Mordaunt, the Leader of the House of Commons, will represent the Tories during the 90-minute event, while Labour are sending deputy leader Ms Rayner.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey will not be attending, with his deputy Daisy Cooper stepping in instead.
The line-up is being completed by Stephen Flynn, the SNP's Westminster leader, Carla Denyer, co-leader of the Green Party, and Rhun ap Iorwerth of Plaid Cymru.
Tonight's seven-way BBC debate will be presented by Mishal Husain, with questions from the live audience and others sent in by the public.
The event will take place in London from 7.30pm to 9pm.
Mr Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer will go head-to-head on the BBC on June 26, in what is expected to be the final TV debate before polling day.
Earlier this week, viewing figures showed millions of Britons snubbed Tuesday night's first showdown between the PM and Sir Keir on primetime ITV.
The programme was watched by an average of just 4.8million viewers, with a peak of 5.2million viewers.
This was down from the average audience of 6.7million for the ITV debate between Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn during the 2019 general election.
A YouGov snap poll revealed nearly two-thirds who did watch the clash between Mr Sunak and Sir Keir branded it 'frustrating'.
The debate saw both party leaders repeatedly speak over each other during tetchy exchanges, as ITV host Julie Etchingham struggled to rein them in.
Mr Farage channelled Eminem as he gloated that the TV head-to-head between Mr Sunak and Sir Keir 'felt so empty without me'.
In a social media post after the debate had ended, the newly-installed Reform UK leader shared a video of himself on the general election campaign trail.
The footage was set to the Eminem song 'Without Me', which includes the lyrics: 'Now this looks like a job for me, so everybody just follow me, because we need a little controversy, because it feels so empty without me.'
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey will not be attending, with his deputy Daisy Cooper stepping in instead (left). The line-up is being completed by Stephen Flynn (below), the SNP 's Westminster leader, Carla Denyer (centre), co-leader of the Green Party, and Rhun ap Iorwerth of Plaid Cymru (right)
