There’s no debate, our leaders must face the people
JOHN RYLEY, head of Sky News, argues the case for an independent commission that puts politicians to the TV test
WHEN Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg lined up in April 2010 to debate who should run the country it felt like a watershed moment. For the first time, the leaders of Britain’s major parties were going head-tohead in live TV debates to discuss the issues that mattered to voters at election time.
Those of us involved in making those debates happen hoped they would be the first of many. Unfortunately they have proved, so far, to be the first and only.
In both 2015 and 2017 events were held which pitted party leaders against one another. But because of a lack of political will, no substantive head-to-head debates between the main party leaders – the candidates to be prime minister – have taken place.
This needs to change because the public must be able to see their leaders, listen to their arguments and hear them being challenged, before choosing who to vote for. They need to be able to evaluate the personalities and the policies on offer.
Never has this been more important than now, with the United Kingdom leaving the European Union and the whole country divided over our future direction. The world is more complex and uncertain than for decades.
Leaders’ debates happen in elections across the world. They are a regular feature in Canada, the US, Germany, France and most of the rest of Europe. But not in the UK.
We need regular debates, organised well in advance of a general election and fairly managed. It is for this reason that Sky News (which led the way in organising the debates in 2010) is proposing an independent Leaders’ Debate Commission (LDC) as part of its Make Debates Happen campaign.
This would be an independent body, comprised of experts, which would control the process. They would decide on format, participation, rules, timing and organisation. It would be endorsed by parliament and funded by broadcasters. Similar bodies exist elsewhere, such as in the United States. This would take the decision-making about these events, which have the potential to be election-defining, out of the hands of politicians and broadcasters.
No longer, as in the past two election campaigns, would politicians be able to duck out because it didn’t suit them. Decisions would be taken independently of parties, while obviously involving them, well before any campaign got under way, removing the opportunity for one side to play the system or veto the whole thing.
All sides would agree to the principle of taking part, with the details worked out fairly.
Just as importantly, a Leaders’ Debate Commission would take the power of organising election debates away from broadcasters. To be clear, this is not about Sky News’s commercial interest, nor the interest of any other broadcaster. It is not about ratings or money. It is also not about giving us more power. In fact, the opposite is true.
This is about removing decision-making from organisations on both sides and vesting that power in an independent body which exists only to ensure the public are best-served when making their democratic decision.
This needs to be done urgently. The great benefit of a commission is that it de-politicises the process by having decisions made independently and well in advance of elections. If we wait until the next vote is called, it will be too late to realise these benefits.
The Make Debates Happen campaign has already received huge support. More than 100,000 people have signed our petition, and you can join them by visiting skynews.com. Now we have reached the 100,000 target the petition should be considered for debate by parliament. It would be rare for this not to happen but the more people who pile in, the greater the pressure will be.
Many high-profile politicians have backed the campaign, from Conservatives Boris Johnson and Amber Rudd to Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn and Tom Watson. Liberal Democrat leaders past and present, Sir Vince Cable and Sir Nick Clegg, are on board, as are the SNP and the Greens. So, too, Eddie Izzard.
The opportunity to see our leaders challenged is a precious one. Those who watched Sophy Ridge on Sunday on Sky News two weeks ago will have seen how valuable it is. Sophy questioned, separately, Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn and that allowed viewers to compare and contrast the leaders directly. We should see this more.
But in a general election it must go further. We must see politicians battling for the key to No 10 debating head-to-head, live on TV. Only that way can the electorate properly weigh up the options before them and make an informed decision.
The past fews days have highlighted the need for an independent commission. The Prime Minister, who refused to take part in TV debates in 2017, is seeking a televised debate to put her case for her agreement on Brexit to the biggest possible audience before the big vote by MPs a week on Tuesday.
Again the politicians and broadcasters can’t agree: Theresa May prefers the BBC’s proposal, Jeremy Corbyn is keener on ITV. And there will be no advocates of either the People’s Vote or a no-deal Brexit on stage. Some argue it’s a stitch-up between the two to exclude those who disagree with them.
The sensible, mature way to manage this is through an independent commission which removes the power from politicians and broadcasters. Please sign up. You won’t regret it.