David Cameron, Nigel Farage and other party leaders will be separately grilled by younger voters in a series of live streamed discussions to be distributed online by ITV News and YouTube channel Bite News.
The prime minister, Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg, Labour’s Ed Miliband, Ukip’s Farage and the Green’s Natalie Bennett will appear on their own and be quizzed in front of studio audiences in the five debates taking place between 26 November and 16 December.
The Leaders Live discussions have been organised by Bite the Ballot, which campaigns for young people to vote, ITV News and Bite News. They will be presented by Rick Edwards, host of BBC3’s current affairs discussion show Free Speech, and streamed live by ITV News, Bite News and on the Leaders Live website.
The audience will include singer Eliza Doolittle, Bite News owner Jamal Edwards and influential YouTubers, including Hannah Witton and Harry Hitchens.
“Leaders Live is a fantastic initiative from Bite the Ballot to get young people involved in the political debate,” said Clegg. “This project will take the leaders of the main political parties to where young people are already active, through exciting new ways of communicating.”
Throughout each discussion, the online audience will be able to put questions to the leaders through social media channels.
Each party leader has selected three topics to be covered in their individual debate and a “wildcard” fourth and final topic will be chosen in advance by the online community on Twitter and the Leaders Live website.
“Leaders Live will give young people a chance to ask political leaders direct questions and get straight answers,” said Miliband. “I’m really looking forward to being involved.”
Farage said: “Taking part in Leaders Live is a fantastic opportunity to deliver Ukip’s message straight to the new generation of voters, and perhaps more importantly hear their concerns and take their questions directly.”
The Leaders Live initiative highlights how the development of digital media – in particular online video and social networks – since 2010 means that broadcasters may not be able to maintain their previous monopoly of party leader debates for next year’s general election.
Guardian News & Media and Telegraph Media Group have proposed an internet debate with a female moderator to be streamed live online in a partnership with YouTube.
The newspaper groups and Google-owned YouTube have been in discussion with the main parties about the proposal, #onlinedebate, since formally pitching their plan in May.
GNM, TMG and YouTube are offering a live feed that could be embedded on any media website and carried by any broadcasters on traditional TV and radio.
They argue that this would be much more flexible and accessible than traditional TV debates, available across a range of platforms and devices and more in tune with how people consume information in the digital age.
In the 2010 general election, the BBC, ITV and Sky News each hosted a live 90-minute debate with the three main party leaders – Cameron, Clegg and Labour prime minister Gordon Brown.
For next year’s election, the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky News have jointly agreed to a plan for three TV debates and wrote to Cameron, Clegg, Miliband and Farage with their proposal last month, in what amounted to an opening of negotiations with the various political leaders.
The broadcasters’ plan came in for widespread criticism from the political parties, with only Labour giving a broadly positive initial response.
Cameron questioned the inclusion of Farage without Green party leader Bennett; while the Lib Dems rejected the plan, objecting to the proposed debate between Cameron and Miliband that would exclude Clegg.
The Green party and SNP have threatened legal action after being excluded from the broadcasters’ leaders debates plan.
The Leaders Live online debate line up
Natalie Bennett, Green leader
Date: Wednesday 26 November, 6.30pm
Topics: Education, environment and jobs/economy
Nigel Farage, Ukip leader
Date: Tuesday 2 December, 6.30pm
Topics: The EU, democracy and immigration
Ed Miliband, Labour leader
Date: Monday 8 December, 5.30pm
Topics: Jobs/economy, health and democracy
Nick Clegg, Lib Dem leader
Date: Tuesday 16 December, 7pm
Topics: Health, education and jobs/economy
David Cameron, Conservative leader
Date: TBC
Topics: TBC
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