Plans for historic televised leaders' debates unveiled

FINAL plans for historic television debates which could shape the forthcoming election were unveiled yesterday.

Britain's three main broadcasters, BBC, ITV and Sky, revealed details of the first set of UK party leaders' debates ever to be held in a British election.

Three Scottish debates will also be held involving Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy, his Tory shadow David Mundell and the Lib Dems' Alistair Carmichael. The SNP has not ruled out legal action over being excluded from the main leaders' debates to stop them being aired in Scotland.

It has yet to confirm whether First Minister Alex Salmond or Westminster leader Angus Robertson will take part in the Scottish ones. There was also speculation they might put up Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

The Scottish debates will be held in the last full week of the campaign. The first, on the penultimate Sunday, will be on Sky in the morning. Then, on Tuesday, comes the STV debate. The final one will be on the BBC on the last Sunday at lunchtime.

Meanwhile, the UK leaders' debates will be held solely in England in separate weeks of the elections.