Will anyone actually watch Cameron’s debate?

David Cameron finally agreed to appear in a leaders’ debate yesterday, saying he would do a seven person debate on April 2nd. Labour are still pushing to get the PM to agree to a further two debates, including a head-to-head with Ed Miliband.

But why April 2nd? It does not go with Cameron’s initial demands for the debate to take place before the start of the short campaign – the dissolution of Parliament for the election occurs several days earlier. Only a couple of weeks ago, Cameron’s spinner Craig Oliver wrote a letter to broadcasters saying that a debate should take place “during the week beginning the 23rd March”. This, he said, was their “final offer”.

This year, Maundy Thursday falls on April 2nd – otherwise known as the last working day before a four-day bank holiday weekend for Easter. And what do people tend to do rather than watch television on that evening?

Seems like the Tory leader has managed to contrive a debate where both his and his main opponent’s arguments will be drowned out, on a date when no one will watch it.