A train of events this lunchtime:
- Breaking - BBC wins broadcasters race to host Brexit deal debate on Sunday December 9, at 8pm.
- BUT hang on: This is still dependent on Labour agreeing. Corbyn said to prefer ITV's pitch - not least because of its 7pm start time, avoiding a clash with I'm A Celebrity. All still in play, I'm told.
- Labour party spokesman: "Negotiations about the debate are still ongoing". Fury in Team Corbyn, accusing No10 of trying to bounce them.
- Interesting. I'm told BBC are promising a far bigger audience because their debate would follow Strictly's result show. On same Sunday last year in 8pm slot, BBC had 11.9m viewers, vs ITV's 4m. I’m A Celeb's big audience bounce only kicks in at 9pm when it starts.
- I also hear that the BBC's debate will not be hosted by Andrew Neil. A shame, but unsurprising neither May nor Corbyn would agree to that type of box office savaging.
Also:
- BBC format for TV debate would also include panel of "names" involved in Brexit to quiz PM and Jeremy Corbyn.
- It's understood Labour do not believe BBC format for TV debate is a genuine head to head - as it would also involve a Brexit panel.
- Labour believe ITV also offer bigger, more diverse viewing audience for TV debate.
Hmm. Not liking the sound of the BBC's use of a panel of "names".
What is "involved in Brexit" suppose to mean? We haven't even Brexited yet...
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing they mean Gina Miller, Alistair Campbell, and maybe Aaron Banks (because they think people won't like him)...
But it's much more likely to be a panel of journos I would have thought in which case Rachel Sylvester, Anne McElvoy and Tim Stanley (weak) will do nicely.
My impartial, free and fair and totally balanced panel would be Nigel Farage, Raheem Kassam, Julia Hartley-Brewer and Gerard Batten.
BBC are probably hoping to pick off May and Corbyn at the same time, and pave the way for second referendum under the leadership of Prime Minister Keir Starmer. So Corbyn's team would be daft to go with BBC.
This is what I offered as Guido 'broke' a story about the Daily Mail's business editor rallying the troops:
ReplyDelete"The BBC going to organise a ‘debate’ between him and Geordie, moderated impartially by anyone in the bbc bar Andrew Neil, with an audience exclusively sourced from Islington, Brighton and Cornwall, and held in Alistair Campbell’s soundproof basement?"