THE BBC will broadcast its flagship politics debate show Question Time from Cambridge this evening with a variety of guests on the panel.
The show's regular host Fiona Bruce will once again be in charge of presenting Thursday night’s programme as she is joined by representatives from some of the UK’s largest political parties.
Along with representatives from Labour, Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, Bruce will be joined by journalist and broadcaster Andrew Neil and political commentator Ash Sarkar.
Here's everything you need to know ahead of the hour-long debate this evening.
When is BBC Question Time on and how can I watch?
The show is scheduled after the 10 o’clock news on BBC One, meaning it is set to start at 10.40pm.
It will also be available to watch on BBC iPlayer and to listen on BBC Sounds from 9pm.
Who is on BBC Question Time panel tonight?
Jonathan Reynolds
The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade will make an appearance this evening after he found himself in the middle of a corruption row earlier this month.
James Purnell, a lobbyist who is now the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, hosted Reynolds and 14 senior executives in defence and industry for a dinner in June last year.
However, the meeting, which took place when Purnell was head of the influential lobbying firm Flint Global, was not declared until the paper approached the Government for comment.
The firms present have since signed contracts worth a total of £3 billion, sparking accusations of cronyism.
Helen Whately
Tory MP for Faversham and Mid Kent, Whately will likely be forced to defend her party’s plans to ban long-term jobless benefits claimants from spending their welfare payments on alcohol, cigarettes and gambling.
The plans would also see universal credit (UC) payments slashed for those who have not made consistent contributions to the welfare system, which Tory leader Kemi Badenoch claimed was currently “unfair to workers”.
Under the Tory plans, anyone who claims UC when they are out of work would get six months of full benefits to find a job. After that, the full rate would only be available to people who have contributed to the welfare system through their taxes for years.
Josh Babarinde
The Lib Dem MP for Eastbourne has recently campaigned to raise money for local lifeboats as he said crews have faced “disgusting intimidation” and abuse online following a string of anti-migrant protests in England.
In a joint statement with fellow LibDem MP, Helena Dollimore, Babarinde wrote: “In both our communities - in Hastings, Rye and the villages, and in Eastbourne - we are so proud of our local lifeboats and volunteers who have saved lives at sea for over 200 years without judgement.
“There is never any excuse for intimidation or abuse of our lifeboat crews. They are dedicated volunteers who put their lives on the line for the rest of us.”
Andrew Neil
The veteran broadcaster and journalist found himself in the middle of an online storm last month after he asked a man to “speak proper English” in a rant over him using "pathetic cod Scots" on social media.
John Cadden commented on a post by Neil in which the former BBC journalist was claiming the SNP Scottish Government had been "lamentably slow in responding to the deterioration" of the A83 Rest and Be Thankful.
Cadden responded to Neil saying: “Mibee if yae actually stayed in Scotland an paid some tax, Andrew, you'd have reason tae moan, the road his been a heidache since it wis built, the geology is very unstable, climate change (grass an shrubs dying) all adds tae mair ground instability. French roads are aw fine, aye.”
Neil has owned a home in Grasse in the south of France for many years.
In response to Cadden, Neil asked him not to “bother” him again until he learnt “proper English”.
Ash Sarkar
A journalist and political activist, Sarkar is no stranger to BBC Question Time and regularly challenges the panelists on the show over their politics.
Last year, Sarkar brutally called out the UK's billionaire wealth hoarding and failed privatisation as she branded the UK’s privatised industries a “failed experiment” and slammed the country’s widening wealth gap, laying out how the public's taxes benefit the richest in society.
She highlighted how £200 billion has gone to shareholders in rail, energy, and social care and argued that ordinary people are paying the price while billionaires continue to hoard wealth, often inherited or tied up in finance and property.
