The BBC has set its election night coverage for the July 4 poll as broadcasters battle to secure debates with Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer as soon as possible.Established presenters Laura Kuenssberg and Clive Myrie will helm the BBC’s coverage in six weeks time, replacing Huw Edwards, who resigned from the BBC last month following a scandal involving his allegedly paying a young person for explicit images.Kuenssberg, who hosts a topical Sunday show, and newsreader Myrie, will “bring insight, experience – and perhaps a little wit” alongside BBC political editor Chris Mason, according to the BBC, whose announcement on the coverage was always expected today.Others set to feature on the night include Reeta Chakrabarti and Jeremy Vine analyzing results with the famous ‘swingometer’, Kirsty Wark, Fiona Bruce, Victoria Derbyshire, Naga Munchetty, Nick Watt and Alex Forsyth. Nick Robinson and Rachel Burden will be on the radio and Martin Geissler, Mark Carruthers, and Nick Servini will lead dedicated shows in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.“In this election, we have one thing on our minds above all else – the voters,” said BBC News CEO Deborah Turness. “Throughout the campaign we’ll be giving them the facts and information they need to make up their own minds. We know the way people are consuming news is changing; we’ll have the most comprehensive ever offer across every platform, so we can be where people are.”For the more immediate future, the BBC and ITV are battling to secure the format and date for election debates, with the BBC saying in the past hour it has now “invited the leaders of the seven biggest political parties to participate in televised debates.”Since they started taking place in 2010, these debates have proved notoriously difficult to pin down and doyens including former Sky News boss John Ryley have in the past called for them to be enshrined into law, but to no avail.Trailing heavily in the polls, Sunak is desperate for as much TV facetime as possible and his team laid down a marker early by calling for six debates – one a week. Starmer’s Labour Party, the overwhelming favorite to win the election, is far less keen and has called for two, which appears to be the figure that will be realized.The shape of and number involved in the debates still requires ironing out, as smaller parties such as the Liberal Democrats, Reform UK, and parties in Scotland and Wales have also called to be involved in some form.Deadline hears that ITV is much more likely to only feature Sunak and Starmer and an announcement could be imminent, with Sunak’s team wanting to get out the blocks and debate this week or next.ITV news boss Michael Jermey will likely take a “hardball approach” and could insist ITV either goes first or eschews the debate altogether, according to one source who has worked on debates in the past. Julie Etchingham would be most likely to present, the source predicted.Starmer’s insistence on two debates looks set to be shutting out the likes of Sky News, Channel 4, Channel 5 and disruptor GB News. “I fear Starmer will hold the line at two,” a senior Channel 4 source said last week. 13-Channel 4 came out the blocks with a buzzy election night line-up even before the poll was announced. Its July 4 coverage will be helmed by Prince Andrew interviewer Emily Maitlis and Krishnan Guru-Murthy, with insight from The Rest is Politics duo Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart.Sky News is putting on a special event in Grimsby with Starmer but, contrary to his debating desire, Sunak is yet to agree to attend and negotiations continue, according to a spokeswoman.Meanwhile, the right-leaning GB News’ role over the coming weeks will be intriguing.A number of GB News shows are hosted by Conservative politicians and the network is in the process of potentially being sanctioned over a People’s Forum live show with Sunak earlier this year that Ofcom says once again broke its impartiality code. GB News has yet to comment on whether it wants an election debate.
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