Nick Clegg could be cut out of 2015 general election debates

Nick Clegg’s decision to challenge Nigel Farage to a head-to-head contest over the European Union appeared to backfire after it emerged he could be excluded from next year’s election debates.

Mr Farage, the leader of the UK Independence Party, accepted the challenge from Mr Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, to a debate on the future of the EU.

However within hours senior sources from the Conservatives and Labour parties suggested that it could now mean that Mr Clegg does not take part in the leaders’ debates ahead of the 2015 general election at all.

The Telegraph understands that one option is for one of the TV debates to feature both Mr Cameron and Mr Miliband, with another debate widened out to include more minor parties, like the LibDems and even Ukip.

Senior Conservative sources said “conversations are on-going, all options are on the table”, adding there was “no legal requirement” to include Mr Clegg in any debates.

Any decision on the format of the debates – which the Tories complain dominated the 2010 election – will be taken after October.

A Labour spokesman said: “The priority for us is to ensure that there are debates agreed between the two prospective Prime Ministers of the country - Ed Miliband and David Cameron - at the time of the general election. Anything else will be a matter for the negotiations after that is agreed.”

Any decision not to allow Mr Clegg to take part would represent a major blow to the LibDems, which saw its fortunes saw in 2010 after Mr Clegg’s strong performance in the debates.

Nick Clegg (GETTY IMAGES)

Mr Clegg challenged Mr Farage earlier this week to take part in a public debate, saying “is the leader of the party of ‘out’. I am the leader of the party of ‘in’.”

Mr Farage responded on LBC radio on Friday, saying he had “no choice” but to accept Mr Clegg’s challenge.

He said: “I nearly choked on my bacon roll when I heard Nick Clegg say he wanted to have a debate about the big European question.

“I’ve got to say yes because we need to have a national debate on what I think is the most important issue this country has faced for hundreds of years in terms of our constitution.”

However within hours the Conservatives and Labour suggested that Mr Clegg may have forfeited his right to appear at the leaders debates ahead of next May’s election.

A spokesman for the LibDems said: “It’s up for the party leaders and the broadcasters to negotiate what happens in 2015.

“This debate with UKIP is about Europe and our continued membership of the EU. Clearly, this is Labour trying to hide from the fact they are split on Europe and want to go into these elections without answering the main questions.

“However, we would be more than happy for Ed Miliband to join us but suspect that Labour don’t have the courage appear. We won’t be holding our breaths.”