• About us
• Undergraduate study
• Postgraduate taught degrees
• PhD Study
• About our research
• Research - Information for Staff (login required)
• Our people
• Ethics
• News & events
• Current students
• Careers and Student Employability
• International students
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
• Wellbeing, welfare and support
• Alumni

Dr Anna Sanders on BBC News

Posted on 24 June 2024

Election Special

BBC Question Time was broadcast live from the University on Thursday 20th June. The show was an Election Special with the leaders from the four main parties taking questions from a live studio audience.

Dr Anna Sanders was interviewed prior to Question Time by Ros Atkins on BBC News to get her opinion on what we could expect from the party leaders, and whether TV debates can influence voting intention.

Anna says "The key theme in this debate would likely be about trust. The debate comes at a time when recent polling showed trust in the political system is at a record low, and allegations earlier that day that Conservative officials – including the Party’s own campaigns director – were engulfed in a betting scandal. Party leaders, therefore, will want to appeal to voters with messages about why they should trust them. We might expect to see Conservative leader, Rishi Sunak, focus on what the party will do in office, as a way to change the conversation and divert attention away from the party’s record. But we shouldn’t overestimate the impact that TV debates can have on changing voters’ minds. While there have been some exceptions, parties leading at the start of the campaign usually end up winning the election."

You can watch Question Time Leaders' Special from York on BBC iPlayer.