SKY NEWS has been forced to cancel tomorrow night’s debate between the Tory leadership hopefuls after two of the candidates pulled out.
In a statement, the broadcaster said: “Tuesday evening’s live television debate on Sky News between the Conservative Party leadership candidates has been cancelled.
“Two of the three candidates currently leading in the MPs ballots, Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, have confirmed to Sky News that they do not want to take part.
“Conservative MPs are said to be concerned about the damage the debates are doing to the image of the Conservative Party, exposing disagreements and splits within the party.
“Both are very welcome to take part in future Sky News televised debates.”
The decision to not take part comes after two previous TV debates which have been bruising for the party and the candidates.
READ MORE: Tory hopefuls rule out early election in fiery TV debate
It is understood both campaign teams would rather focus on hustings for Tory MPs in the run-up to the final vote on Wednesday.
"We've done two in the last three days which I think is enough at this stage," a source in Mr Sunak’s team told The Mirror.
A Team Truss source told the paper: "It is not the right time to be doing more debates when this part of the contest only has 358 voters. The C4 debate in particular was a massive mistake and candidates were wrong to take part in it."
Penny Mordaunt's spokesperson said she was disappointed by the cancellation.
They said: "It’s a shame some colleagues cannot find a way to debate one another in a civil way.
“Throughout this contest she has never dodged media or shied away from broadcast interviews and debates - people deserve to hear from their leaders.”
Last night’s clash on ITV was particularly brutal, with the attacks between MPs veering on the personal.
One of the most striking moments in the ITV debate was when Mr Sunak asked Ms Truss if she most regretted being a Remainer or a Lib Dem in her past.
The Foreign Secretary responded by noting that her comprehensive school wasn’t as posh as the £30,000 a year Winchester College Mr Sunak attended.
Speaking to the New Statesman, a Labour source described the debate as “a generous gift.”
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