Theresa May will refuse to take part in televised leaders’ debates in the run-up to the June 8 general election, Number 10 sources have indicated.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn threw down the gauntlet to the Prime Minister with a direct challenge on Twitter saying: “If this General Election is about leadership, as Theresa May said this morning, she should not be dodging head-to-head TV debates.”

But a Downing Street source indicated that the Prime Minister would flatly reject any proposal for a TV showdown, telling the Press Association: “Our answer is no.”