Jeremy Corbyn Vs Owen Smith in final Labour debate: What to expect
The two Labour leadership contenders will battle it out for the last time before the winner is revealed
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and MP Owen Smith are set to go head-to-head in front of a live television audience for the last time tonight as the long and acrimonious party leadership race comes to an end this month.
The event, which will be screened at 9pm tonight on Sky News and moderated by its political editor Faisal Islam, is expected to see questions put to both candidates by Labour members and supporters a week before the ballot closes.
However, the Huffington Post has revealed that Corbyn's team has threatened to withdraw from the debate due to concerns over audience balance. The pollster Survation is carrying out checks to ensure the audience is evenly split, but the Labour leader's allies say there is potential "conflict of interest".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"[They] suspect that Survation is doing polling work for the Smith campaign," the website reports. "Both Sky News and Survation have offered assurances [that this is not the case] but the Corbyn camp are demanding more clarity."
"It's 50-50 at the moment as to whether we will take part," one of the leader's allies said. "We are still making the decision. There is still cause for concern and we don't want to find out after the programme that we were proved right."
There has been no official confirmation from team Corbyn that a withdrawal from the debate is being considered, but the Labour leader has previously pulled out of hustings due to accusations of bias.
Many political commentators say Corbyn has had the upper hand throughout the leadership contest.
"As incumbent, Corbyn gets to be optimistic about Labour's current situation," says the New Statesmen. The Labour leader is likely to once again cite by-election wins, mayoral elections and several Tory U-turns.
As the challenger to the status quo, it falls to Smith to highlight the party's failings, the magazine adds. "From Ukip to Trident, he [is] the voice of – depending on who you ask – reason or cynicism."
The previous debate between the two contenders saw them clash over Brexit, party unity and anti-Semitism, with pundits split on who came out on top.
The recent boundary changes, which is expected to hit Labour the hardest and threaten the Islington MP's parliamentary seat, are likely to feature in the hour-long debate.
The Labour leader remains ahead in both the opinion polls and the betting odds , but the party as a whole is suffering its worst ever opinion poll ratings in opposition. The winner will be announced at a special conference in Liverpool on 24 September.
Writing in The Guardian on the anniversary of Corbyn's first year in office yesterday, shadow chief secretary to the Treasury Rebecca Long-Bailey said that regardless of the outcome of the debate and contest, the party needs to move forward "in the spirit of optimism, determination and, above all, unity".
The Battle for Labour airs on Sky News on Wednesday 14 September at 8pm
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The magician who secretly smashed the Magic Circle's glass ceiling
Under The Radar Sophie Lloyd lurked in the all-male society by posing as a teenage boy for nearly two years, but was expelled after revealing her true identity
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Kate Summerscale's 6 favorite true crime books about real murder cases
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by Helen Garner, Gwen Adshead, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Team of bitter rivals
Opinion Will internal tensions tear apart Trump's unlikely alliance?
By Theunis Bates Published
-
The potential impact of Trump tariffs for the UK
The Explainer UK goods exports to the US could be hit with tariffs of up to 20% seriously affecting the British economy
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
What is the next Tory leader up against?
Today's Big Question Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick will have to unify warring factions and win back disillusioned voters – without alienating the centre ground
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What is Lammy hoping to achieve in China?
Today's Big Question Foreign secretary heads to Beijing as Labour seeks cooperation on global challenges and courts opportunities for trade and investment
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Britain about to 'boil over'?
Today's Big Question A message shared across far-right groups listed more than 30 potential targets for violence in the UK today
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
UK's Starmer slams 'far-right thuggery' at riots
Speed Read The anti-immigrant violence was spurred by false rumors that the suspect in the Southport knife attack was an immigrant
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The Tamils stranded on 'secretive' British island in Indian Ocean
Under the Radar Migrants 'unlawfully detained' since 2021 shipwreck on UK-controlled Diego Garcia, site of important US military base
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
How conservative is Labour?
Today's big question Keir Starmer's party triumphed in the general election despite prioritising 'wealth creation and growth, not redistribution'
By Abby Wilson Published