The BBC has confirmed that it will broadcast a live debate featuring the final two candidates in the running to become the UK’s next Prime Minister.

Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss and Penny Mordaunt face a crucial vote on Wednesday to determine which two candidates will advance to a poll of around 160,000 Conservative Party members to choose the next PM.

Our Next Prime Minister – to be broadcast on Monday, July 25 at 9pm on BBC One – will see Sophie Raworth interview both candidates in front of a studio audience of 80 to 100 people in Stoke-on-Trent.

Jonathan Munro, the BBC’s interim director of news, said: “We’re delighted to be offering BBC audiences the chance to be part of this pivotal moment in politics and hear, first-hand, from the final two candidates as they compete to succeed Boris Johnson as Prime Minister.”

The corporation also announced that it would invite both candidates to be interviewed by Nick Robinson for a show called Our Next Prime Minister: The Interviews.