Times Radio to host SNP leadership debate in Edinburgh 

Friday 17th March 2023: Times Radio will host a debate between the three candidates to lead the Scottish National Party on Tuesday 21st March at 8pm in Edinburgh, as Kate Forbes, Ash Regan and Humza Yousaf go head-to-head in front of a live audience of over 40 people.

With only days before the ballot closes, Times Radio’s Aasmah Mir will present the event, interviewing each candidate and moderating questions from the audience from across the political spectrum. 

The hour-long event will be broadcast live on Times Radio at 8pm and streamed in vision on the Times Radio YouTube channel. It will be followed by a programme of reaction and analysis from 9-10pm, giving people across the UK the opportunity to hear directly from the candidates fighting for every last vote.

Aasmah Mir said: “In a race to replace Nicola Sturgeon as party leader, and become the next First Minister of Scotland, audiences are looking for more answers on the huge issues that will affect every single person in the country. My aim on Tuesday is to get these answers, call out policies that don’t add up, and examine their experiences and views as they fight it out to win the party's vote”.

Times Radio Programme Director Tim Levell said: “Times Radio is all about quality live news, and we know listeners come to us for our political commentary especially around big events. Giving listeners a chance to hear from the three contenders fighting to be Scotland’s next leader is exactly what we’re all about.”

The latest RAJAR results revealed Times Radio is delivering a reach of 563k listeners, who are listening to 3.4m hours of Times Radio every week. The station has become the destination for a higher proportion of AB profile listeners than BBC Radio 4, LBC and BBC Radio 5 Live, engaging with The Times’s take on major rolling news events. Times Radio is available on DAB radio, online and via the free Times Radio app.