Angela Rayner and Penny Mordaunt go head to head in all-party TV election debate

Penny Mordaunt and Angela Rayner have been named as possible future leaders of their parties

Penny Mordaunt and Angela Rayner will face off in the first debate of the election campaign, which will feature all seven major parties.

The Tory cabinet minister and deputy leader of the Labor Party will trade blows on behalf of their bosses Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer at event, which will be broadcast by the BBC on Friday.

The debate, moderated by Mishal Hussain, will also feature representatives from the Liberal Democrats, Scottish National Party, Plaid Camry, Green Party and Reform UK.

Parties can choose who will represent them at the event, which will take place from 7.30pm to 9pm, where questions will be asked. posed to him by viewers and the public.

Nigel Farage is likely to speak out on behalf of Reform, announcing he is taking over as leader and will stand as an MP in Clacton, Essex, in a surprise announcement on Monday.

The election campaign is heating up ahead of the first televised debate involving Scottish party leaders, which begins on Monday evening. Mr Sunak and Sir Keir will go head-to-head on Tuesday evening.

Ms Mordaunt, the leader of the Commons, is seen as a likely future Conservative leadership contender having had her name thrown into the fray in the past for the highest post. She is seen as a strong speaker with vast experience of sparring with the opposition through the letterbox.

Ms Rayner has also replaced Sir Keir at Prime Minister's Questions on several occasions, taking on the role of Oliver Dowden, Mr Sunak's deputy.

The other parties have not yet confirmed who they will send to Friday's event in London.

ITV will set the tone for the election campaign with the first in-person debate on Tuesday, exactly a month before polling day. It will then host an event with all seven major parties on June 13.

As well as the seven-party debate this Friday, the BBC will air a Question Time special featuring leading figures from the Conservatives, the Scottish National Party, the Liberals Democrats and the Labor Party.

More events expected

The schedule is building up to what is expected to be the final televised debate of the campaign on June 26, hosted by the BBC, a week before the country goes to the polls.

More events are expected involving various party leaders, such as Sky News, LBC, Channel Four and GB News, which are thought to be eyeing some form of debate or audience question sessions.

On Monday, Kemi Badenoch, the business secretary, said she believed Mr Sunak could beat Sir Keir in a televised debate.

She said the developments «could be game-changing» and predicted «we will see a side of the prime minister that we haven't seen before».

Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, said: «The choice in this election is whether people want to give matches back to the arsonists to finish the job, or whether they want to go to the Labor firemen who are offering change.» needs of the country.»

The Tories pressured Sir Keir to take part in a record six debates in a six-week election campaign.

But the Labor leader refused, initially promising just two face-to-face events on BBC and ITV.