Advertisement

  1. National

ITV News poll: PM has damaged his reputation over TV debates

David Cameron has damaged his reputation by trying to avoid TV debates with other leaders, according to a new ComRes poll for ITV News.

The poll found 64% of people agreed with this statement. However, nearly half (46%) said the debates would make no difference to the way they vote in this year's General Election.

The results come as Lord Grade, a former chairman of ITV and the BBC, told Chris Ship that the broadcasters are threatening politicians "in an illegal fashion" over the debates.

View all 47 updates ›

TV debates without Cameron would 'breach impartiality'

Lord Grade was a chairman of the BBC and ITV. Credit: PA

A former chairman of BBC and ITV has said broadcasters would be "breaching impartiality rules" if they go ahead with TV debates without David Cameron.

Writing in The Times, Lord Grade, said: "Who do the broadcasters think they are?"

He added: "Their behaviour over the election debates leads me to believe they suddenly have grossly inflated and misguided ideas of their own importance."

The Tory peer also claimed that "for the first time in history" the broadcasters were "unequivocally playing politics" in trying to force elected party leaders to agree to their terms.

  1. Read more
  2. 47 updates
ITV News poll: PM has damaged his reputation over TV debates

More on this story