Third of viewers’ vote influenced by TV debate

More than a million voters in the General Election may have been influenced by the BBC’S Question Time leaders special, a new study has found.

A study for the Electoral Reform Society found the programme – when Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn faced an audience days before the poll – swung a third of viewers’ votes.

Researchers at Leeds University found 34 per cent of the more than four millions viewers said the show helped them make up their mind.

Mr Corbyn gave the best performance with the strongest swing to the Labour leader among younger viewers.

The research also saw a surge in youth engagement in politics, with 80 per cent of 1824yearolds saying they were interested, comparedto50percentin2015.

Darren Hughes, chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society, said the study showed the importance of TV debates in UK general elections.