BBC Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis will quiz contenders running to be the next Prime Minister. The final two candidates will also be invited to take part in a special edition of Question Time where they will be asked questions by an audience. Fran Unsworth, BBC news and current affairs director, said: “Although the final say will fall to Conservative party members, it’s firmly in the public interest for audiences to question and hear from the next potential prime minister.”
A total of 11 candidates have announced their leadership bid, including Boris Johnson, Dominic Raab and Michael Gove.
Several of them have said they are willing to take part in a debate although it is not clear if Mr Johnson will take part.
A source close to the former Foreign Secretary told the MailOnline: “We are happy to take part and will talk to all the broadcasters.”
He is currently favourite to win the race but risks making a mistake in a live debate and giving a platform to his rivals.
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The Conservative Party leadership election was triggered when Theresa May announced on May 24 she would resign as leader on June 7.
Mrs May will stay in her position until the party chooses a new leader to replace her.
She has urged her successor to seek a consensus over Brexit as Brussels stressed there could be “no renegotiation” of the Withdrawal Agreement.
Under the timetable set out by Conservative Party chairman Brandon Lewis and the 1922 vice-chairmen, nominations for leader will close in the week beginning June 10.
The party hopes to have elected a new leader by the start of Parliament’s summer recess.
Sky News will host a live head-to-head debate as part of the Conservative leadership election.
The two final candidates will take part in a live debate with a studio audience made up of Conservative voters presented by journalist Kay Burley.
John Ryley, head of Sky News said: “We’ve consistently pushed the agenda for leaders’ debates for over a decade, this will be another key milestone in the unprecedented political turmoil we’ve been able to witness.”
