By IANS,
London : Britain, the world’s oldest parliamentary democracy, may see an American-style televised debate between the leaders of the nation’s three main political parties, a report said Wednesday.
Prospects for Britain’s first prime ministerial television debate had moved closer after a series of meetings between the ruling Labour and opposition Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties, The Times reported.
Veteran journalist and broadcaster Sir David Frost – whose interviews were the subject of the acclaimed 2008 Hollywood film “Frost/Nixon” – has emerged as a possible host of the debate, the paper said.
General elections are due by June 3, 2010. But with Labour consistently trailing the Conservative party in opinion polls, it was unclear if Prime Minister Gordon Brown would agree to a nationally-televised debate.
A Liberal Democrat spokesman said the party’s leader Nick Clegg was “very eager to take part, but it is all about whether Gordon Brown agrees to appear”.