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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jun/06/crowds-booing-tories-party-leader-hopefuls-weigh-up-tv-debate-risks
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| 'Crowds booing Tories': party leader hopefuls weigh up TV debate risks | 'Crowds booing Tories': party leader hopefuls weigh up TV debate risks |
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| Tory leadership candidates are considering which television debates to take part in, as campaign teams weigh up the risks of derailing their bids to be the next prime minister with an unpredictable live television appearance. | Tory leadership candidates are considering which television debates to take part in, as campaign teams weigh up the risks of derailing their bids to be the next prime minister with an unpredictable live television appearance. |
| The BBC has confirmed plans to host a hustings on Tuesday 18 June, according to a memo sent to campaigns seen by the Guardian. The programme, chaired by Emily Maitlis, will be called Our Next Prime Minister and be broadcast live on BBC1 at 8pm. All candidates who are still in the contest at the time of broadcast will be invited to take part. | The BBC has confirmed plans to host a hustings on Tuesday 18 June, according to a memo sent to campaigns seen by the Guardian. The programme, chaired by Emily Maitlis, will be called Our Next Prime Minister and be broadcast live on BBC1 at 8pm. All candidates who are still in the contest at the time of broadcast will be invited to take part. |
| Multiple leadership campaigns privately said they were particularly concerned about appearing in front of live audiences, especially if they represented a cross-section of the general population rather than the roughly 150,000 Conservative party members who will get to choose the next prime minister. | Multiple leadership campaigns privately said they were particularly concerned about appearing in front of live audiences, especially if they represented a cross-section of the general population rather than the roughly 150,000 Conservative party members who will get to choose the next prime minister. |
| The environment secretary’s campaign plan was knocked off course by revelations about drug-taking. He has sought to regain his place as the leading ‘Stop Boris’ with a series of policy pledges. | The environment secretary’s campaign plan was knocked off course by revelations about drug-taking. He has sought to regain his place as the leading ‘Stop Boris’ with a series of policy pledges. |
| Gove has privately reassured colleagues over recent months that he understands the devastating consequences of a no-deal Brexit, not least for his own environment department. | Gove has privately reassured colleagues over recent months that he understands the devastating consequences of a no-deal Brexit, not least for his own environment department. |
| He has also stressed his background as a reformer, and promised to boost education funding and tackle social care funding – all pitches that could appeal to Stewartites, potentially enabling Gove to overtake Jeremy Hunt. | He has also stressed his background as a reformer, and promised to boost education funding and tackle social care funding – all pitches that could appeal to Stewartites, potentially enabling Gove to overtake Jeremy Hunt. |
| He received 37 votes in the first round, 41 in the second, and 51 in the third round, placing him third each time. In the fourth round he rose to second place with 61 votes. | |
| Hunt’s team called his showing on Wednesday a 'fantastic result'. It was, in the sense that he avoided being overtaken by Gove, and that he picked up an extra eight votes from Tuesday’s showing of 46. | Hunt’s team called his showing on Wednesday a 'fantastic result'. It was, in the sense that he avoided being overtaken by Gove, and that he picked up an extra eight votes from Tuesday’s showing of 46. |
| But there is no doubt that after three rounds of voting Hunt would have hoped to be the obvious challenger to Johnson, whereas he was only narrowly ahead of Gove, with just three votes in it. | But there is no doubt that after three rounds of voting Hunt would have hoped to be the obvious challenger to Johnson, whereas he was only narrowly ahead of Gove, with just three votes in it. |
| The foreign secretary’s team are conscious that he risks appearing middle-of-the-road, with his rivals dismissing him as 'continuity May', or worse, Theresa in trousers, or 'Tit' for short. | The foreign secretary’s team are conscious that he risks appearing middle-of-the-road, with his rivals dismissing him as 'continuity May', or worse, Theresa in trousers, or 'Tit' for short. |
| He received 43 votes in the first round and 46 votes in the second round. He continued to be in second place in the third round with 54 votes, but Gove overtook him in the fourth round, where Hunt finished third with 59 votes. | |
| Johnson’s progress to Downing Street appeared unstoppable even before last week’s first round of voting among MPs, and most of his colleagues believe it is now all but inevitable that he will be Britain’s next prime minister. | Johnson’s progress to Downing Street appeared unstoppable even before last week’s first round of voting among MPs, and most of his colleagues believe it is now all but inevitable that he will be Britain’s next prime minister. |
| His well-disciplined campaign team will continue with their strategy of subjecting him to minimal media exposure, though once the field is narrowed down to two, the final pair will appear in more than a dozen head-to-head hustings for Tory members. The team’s main aim is simply to keep heads down and avoid Johnson creating headlines for the wrong reasons. | His well-disciplined campaign team will continue with their strategy of subjecting him to minimal media exposure, though once the field is narrowed down to two, the final pair will appear in more than a dozen head-to-head hustings for Tory members. The team’s main aim is simply to keep heads down and avoid Johnson creating headlines for the wrong reasons. |
| Johnson won the first round with 114 votes, and the second round with 126 votes. He won the third round with 143 votes. He increased this to 157 votes in the fourth round. | |
| One source on a leadership campaign said inviting the general public to take part in a programme would damage all of the contenders, especially if there was an adverse reaction from Labour supporters in the room: “If I was Jeremy Corbyn, I’d then just show this video of crowds booing Tories.” | One source on a leadership campaign said inviting the general public to take part in a programme would damage all of the contenders, especially if there was an adverse reaction from Labour supporters in the room: “If I was Jeremy Corbyn, I’d then just show this video of crowds booing Tories.” |
| The proposed BBC hustings will not have a live audience, making it harder for campaigns to turn down the appearance. Instead, the invitation said it would draw on questions from people around the UK: “Between now and the broadcast, we will ask members of the public to submit questions and we will select the best of these. The questioners will join the programme from studios around the UK and put their questions to the candidates.” | The proposed BBC hustings will not have a live audience, making it harder for campaigns to turn down the appearance. Instead, the invitation said it would draw on questions from people around the UK: “Between now and the broadcast, we will ask members of the public to submit questions and we will select the best of these. The questioners will join the programme from studios around the UK and put their questions to the candidates.” |
| New Tory leader could avoid immediate confidence vote | New Tory leader could avoid immediate confidence vote |
| The BBC will also host a special edition of Question Time and two Andrew Neil interview programmes on BBC1 with the final two candidates, once the shortlist has been whittled down by MPs. | The BBC will also host a special edition of Question Time and two Andrew Neil interview programmes on BBC1 with the final two candidates, once the shortlist has been whittled down by MPs. |
| British broadcasters endured a torturous few weeks at the end of 2018, trying and failing to agree terms for a televised debate between Corbyn and Theresa May over Brexit. This eventually fell apart, with neither side able to agree on the rules of engagement. | British broadcasters endured a torturous few weeks at the end of 2018, trying and failing to agree terms for a televised debate between Corbyn and Theresa May over Brexit. This eventually fell apart, with neither side able to agree on the rules of engagement. |
| This time around most broadcasters have chosen to announce the programmes after preliminary chats with candidates and to then challenge the campaigns to take part while negotiating on detail. | This time around most broadcasters have chosen to announce the programmes after preliminary chats with candidates and to then challenge the campaigns to take part while negotiating on detail. |
| Channel 4 has attempted to get ahead of the BBC by announcing its own leadership hustings, which is scheduled to last 90 minutes on Sunday 16 June at 6.30pm, after the first round of voting among MPs. It will be hosted by Krishnan Guru-Murthy in front of a live studio audience of potential Tory voters drawn from across the UK. | Channel 4 has attempted to get ahead of the BBC by announcing its own leadership hustings, which is scheduled to last 90 minutes on Sunday 16 June at 6.30pm, after the first round of voting among MPs. It will be hosted by Krishnan Guru-Murthy in front of a live studio audience of potential Tory voters drawn from across the UK. |
| However, multiple campaigns said they were weighing up whether to take part in the Channel 4 show. This is because of the time involved in preparing a candidate for an appearance on national television at a time when the focus of the contest is on winning over MPs rather than party members. Leading candidates such as Boris Johnson were thought to have more to lose by opening themselves up to attack by the rest of the field. | However, multiple campaigns said they were weighing up whether to take part in the Channel 4 show. This is because of the time involved in preparing a candidate for an appearance on national television at a time when the focus of the contest is on winning over MPs rather than party members. Leading candidates such as Boris Johnson were thought to have more to lose by opening themselves up to attack by the rest of the field. |
| One leadership campaign cited perceived leftwing political bias by Channel 4 – and the presence of an audience – as risk factors, even though the programme would have to comply with Ofcom broadcasting rules. Every campaign has been reluctant to repeat May’s boycott of the BBC 2017 general election debate, when she was mocked for being the only leader not to turn up. | One leadership campaign cited perceived leftwing political bias by Channel 4 – and the presence of an audience – as risk factors, even though the programme would have to comply with Ofcom broadcasting rules. Every campaign has been reluctant to repeat May’s boycott of the BBC 2017 general election debate, when she was mocked for being the only leader not to turn up. |
| ITV and Sky News will broadcast programmes during the final round of voting, when Conservative members will choose between two Tory leadership candidates. | ITV and Sky News will broadcast programmes during the final round of voting, when Conservative members will choose between two Tory leadership candidates. |
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