Both Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer will take part in a special leaders’ event programme next week, Sky News has confirmed.

The Battle for Number 10, a UK Election Leaders Special Event, will be aired on Wednesday 12 June.

The event will be live from Grimsby in front of an audience.

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The new Grimsby and Cleethorpes constituency is complex and likely to be a key battleground in the election.

If you would like to be part of this studio audience, and be given the opportunity to ask a question to one of the party leaders, please complete the short questionnaire in this link.

Sky News will put the main candidates vying to lead the country under scrutiny in front of a representative audience drawn from the local area and nationally.

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The two men will look to pitch to voters in an in-depth interview before answering questions from the audience.

The Conservative Party said: “Rishi Sunak looks forward to taking part in Sky News’ leaders event next week.

“We hope that Sky will continue to work with the Labour Party to find a way to ensure both leaders are on stage taking questions from the live audience at the same time for at least part of the programme.

“And we hope that Keir Starmer can find the courage to agree.

“This would provide the best possible opportunity for voters to see the clear choice at this election.”

The Leaders Special will be the second televised event with the two men, coming halfway through the general election campaign and just three weeks ahead of polls opening.

Mr Sunak and Sir Keir went head to head last night in an ITV debate dominated by clashes over tax and the economy.

Sky News has been regularly reporting on the issues facing local residents in Grimsby and Cleethorpes ahead of the election.

Grimsby turned Conservative for the first time since the end of the Second World War in 2019, with many people at the time feeling a cultural rift with the Labour Party.

The constituency has now been combined with Cleethorpes, where the Tories have been in power since 2010, but support for them is fading.

Since its formation in 1997, Cleethorpes has been a bellwether seat, backing the largest party in Westminster.

It contains a rural conservative base as well as urban voters who in more recent years backed the promises of levelling up and Brexit offered by the Conservatives.

The complex composition of this new constituency means it’s shaping up to be a key battleground.

The Battle for Number 10 Leaders Special Event, Wednesday 12th June 7pm-10pm on Sky News – free wherever you get your news.

Freeview channel 233, Sky 501, Virgin 603, BT 313 and streaming on the Sky News website, app and across social channels. It is also available to watch on Sky Showcase.

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