Boris Johnson has demanded any live TV debate must include someone who “believes in Brexit”.
The former foreign secretary and ardent Brexiteer made the claim after Theresa May challenged the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to debate her Brexit plan head-to-head.
The Labour leader, who has pledge to vote against the deal, has said he would “relish” the chance to face the Prime Minister.
But hardline Brexiteers are unhappy that the proposed clash would not include someone who reflects their view on the agreement, agreed to by the EU just days ago.
The TV debate is pencilled into take place on Sunday December 9 – ahead of the crunch Commons vote to get the deal through Parliament, on December 11.
A friend of Johnson said the former foreign secretary was not putting himself forward for the job and would prefer former Labour MP Gisela Stuart represented the Brexiteers.
Stuart, the chair of the Vote Leave campaign, took part in a referendum TV debate in 2016.
But Johnson has not ruled out taking part in any debate with May and Corbyn.
May confirmed she was prepared to take part in a TV debate in an interview with The Sun newspaper. “I am going to be explaining why I think this deal is the right deal for the UK – and yes, I am ready to debate it with Jeremy Corbyn,” she said.
“I am willing to stand up and explain why I think it is the best possible deal available for the UK.”
A Labour spokesman said: “Jeremy would relish a head to head debate with Theresa May about her botched Brexit deal and the future of our country.”
It is not just Brexiteers who are angry at the prospect of a May-Corbyn TV debate.
Tom Baldwin, the director of communications for the People’s Vote campaign, yesterday wrote to the BBC to claim it would breach impartiality rules for the broadcaster to exclude someone who wanted a second referendum from any debate.
The debate is currently scheduled to take place on the the same evening as the final of I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here!.
May laughed today when she was asked whether she thought she could win a ratings battle with the show.
Asked whether she had considered holding a bushtucker trial instead, the Prime Minister replied: “I think this is an issue on which we want to debate the questions of our future.”