Clegg v Farage debate dates confirmed: who will triumph?
Lib Dem and Ukip leaders to go head to head on radio and television in 'great battle of the minnows'

THE dates have been set for two debates in which Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage will go head to head on Britain’s future in Europe.
Clegg’s Liberal Democrats, the most pro-EU of the main parties, and Farage’s Ukip, which wants to withdraw from the EU altogether, have been involved in a growing spat over the issue ahead of May's European elections.
Broadcasters have been in negotiation with the leaders after Farage accepted Clegg’s challenge to a public debate last month. It was announced today that an hour-long televised debate, hosted by David Dimbleby, will be shown on BBC2 at 7pm on 2 April. Questions will come from the audience members, who will be split equally between members of the public for and against EU membership. A radio debate will also take place on LBC at 7pm on 26 March, hosted by Nick Ferrari, in front of a live studio audience.
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.
The two political leaders are already on the attack, with Clegg today accusing Farage of rarely turning up to vote in Brussels, despite being happy to take his taxpayer-funded salary.
Farage hit back on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, accusing the Liberal Democrat leader of hypocrisy. He conceded that his voting record in Brussels was about 50 per cent, but said Clegg has only voted in 22 per cent of votes in this Parliament.
Today’s war of words can be seen as a “dry run” for the debates, says Alex Stevenson on Politics.co.uk. While Clegg’s line of attack backfired and Farage’s response is flawed, the “great battle of the minnows in the debate to come is going to help both parties”, says Stevenson.
Labour's “equivocal attitude” to Europe and mixed messages from the Conservatives leaves the two unashamedly pro- and anti-European parties to grab the headlines, says Stevenson. "When they clash on policy, the results are bound to be fruitful."
In The Guardian, Andrew Rawnsley also thinks the debate will be “mutually beneficial”. Clegg gets a high-profile opportunity to present himself as the principled champion for EU membership, standing up to the right in a way that David Cameron and Ed Miliband will not, he says, while Farage is gifted a big chance to “enthuse his supporters, appeal to ‘out’ Tories and galvanise Europhobes behind his banner”.
Meanwhile, the Mole, The Week’s political insider, says Clegg knows he has “nothing to lose” – he is an unequivocal pro-European facing a whitewash in the May election and he's probably hoping Farage will fall flat on his face.
“On the other hand,” says the Mole, “no one knows better than Clegg what a national debate can do for you – he was the easy winner against Cameron and Gordon Brown in the 2010 general election debates. But then no one knows better how quickly the nation's affection can be withdrawn.”
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
-
Critics' choice: Steak houses that break from tradition
Feature Eight hours of slow-roasting prime rib, a 41-ounce steak, and a former Catholic school chapel turned steakhouse
-
Tash Aw's 6 favorite books about forbidden love
Feature The Malaysian novelist recommends works by James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, and more
-
France and Indonesia promote a contentious bid for an Israel-Palestine two-state solution
Talking Points Both countries have said a two-state solution is the way to end the Middle East conflict
-
Angela Rayner: Labour's next leader?
Today's Big Question A leaked memo has sparked speculation that the deputy PM is positioning herself as the left-of-centre alternative to Keir Starmer
-
Reform UK's councillors are off to a rocky start
In the Spotlight Three weeks after sweeping the local elections, Nigel Farage's insurgent party is beginning to realise how hard the path from rhetoric to reality really is
-
Are we entering the post-Brexit era?
Today's Big Question Keir Starmer's 'big bet' with his EU reset deal is that 'nobody really cares' about Brexit any more
-
Is Starmer's plan to send migrants overseas Rwanda 2.0?
Today's Big Question Failed asylum seekers could be removed to Balkan nations under new government plans
-
Can Starmer sell himself as the 'tough on immigration' PM?
Today's Big Question Former human rights lawyer 'now needs to own the change – not just mouth the slogans' to win over a sceptical public
-
Where is the left-wing Reform?
Today's Big Question As the Labour Party leans towards the right, progressive voters have been left with few alternatives
-
Is the UK's two-party system finally over?
Today's Big Question 'Unprecedented fragmentation puts voters on a collision course with the electoral system'
-
Labour and the so-called 'banter ban'
Talking Point Critics are claiming that a clause in the new Employment Rights Bill will spell the end of free-flowing pub conversation