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Complaint spurs row over TV debates
Plans for three televised debates in the build-up to the General Election were yesterday embroiled in legal wrangling over their broadcast in Scotland.
The Scottish National Party said legal advice it had obtained indicated the BBC had breached "fairness and impartiality" obligations by organising its debate before consulting the party.
But the Liberal Democrats hit back, threatening legal action of their own to ensure the debates among party leaders go ahead.
The BBC, ITV, and Sky announced yesterday they had agreed terms with the three main UK parties – Labour, the Tories and the Liberal Democrats – for a series of live "prime ministerial" debates with their leaders during the election campaign.
But the absence of any place for the SNP was immediately
branded "unacceptable" by Alex Salmond's party, which says it must be involved in any debate in Scotland where it is the party of Government.
Nationalist MP Stewart Hosie said: "The BBC is supposed to be Scotland's national broadcaster – not a publicity agent for the three London-based parties – and they have already failed in their duty to their Scottish audience.
"It cannot be right to give far more election coverage in Scotland to parties which have far less support than the SNP."
The BBC said yesterday it would be holding separate debates in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland among all the main parties, which would be broadcast on BBC Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and across the UK on the BBC News Channel.
ITV said that it would observe its obligations of due impartiality in its electoral coverage and give airtime in other programming to the views of other parties "as appropriate".
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Friday 10 February 2012
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