LABOUR leader Jeremy Corbyn has cancelled his visit to Wharf Green today.

Mr Corbyn was due to speak from about 1.30pm in Swindon but has now confirmed that he will take part in BBC One's general election debate at 7.30pm today instead.

So far Conservative leader Theresa May has refused to take part in head-to-head debates with Mr Corbyn.

The Labour leader will join the leaders of the Liberal Democrats, Ukip, the Green Party and Plaid Cymru, and the SNP's leader at Westminster, in the BBC Election Debate.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd will represent the Conservatives after the Prime Minister made clear that she is not willing to take part in head-to-head debates with any other party leaders during the campaign for the June 8 election.

Angela Rayner, who has been Labour's shadow education secretary, was due to speak at Wharf Green this afternoon in place of Mr Corbyn. 

Mrs Rayner, 36, was elected as MP for Ashton-under-Lyne at the 2015 election.

About 800 people turned up to Wharf Green expecting to hear Mr Corbyn speak.

Natasha Rose Linnegar commented on the Advertiser's Facebook page: "Disappointed but Jeremy has more important things to focus on! Was still a great event."

And Alex Secker said: "Corbyn's decision to get the message out to a wider audience on TV did not dampen the event. Literally the only people who seem annoyed by it are those who don't support Labour in the first place."

Speaking to a rally of supporters in Reading earlier, Mr Corbyn issued a challenge to Mrs May to join him at the debate in Cambridge.

He said: "It's very odd that we have an election campaign where we go out and talk to people all the time and the Prime Minister seems to have difficulties in meeting anyone or having a debate.

"There is a debate in Cambridge tonight.

"I don't know what she is doing this evening, but it's not far from London.

"I invite her to go to Cambridge and debate her policies, debate their record, debate their plans, debate their proposals and let the public make up their mind."

The 90-minute debate, on BBC1 at 7.30pm, follows a series of election broadcasts including a Sky News/Channel 4 programme on Monday evening in which Mrs May and Mr Corbyn separately took questions from a studio audience and were interviewed by veteran interrogator Jeremy Paxman.

TV leaders' debates first became a feature of UK general elections in 2010 when David Cameron, Gordon Brown and Nick Clegg took part in three live clashes.

The 2015 campaign featured a duel between Mr Cameron and Labour leader Ed Miliband, as well as a seven-way debate also including the Liberal Democrats, Ukip, SNP, Plaid Cymru and the Greens and a five-way opposition debate in the absence of the Tory and Lib Dem leaders.

Amber Rudd will still appear for the Conservatives at the debate.

A Conservative Party spokesman said: "There are no changes to the Prime Minister's plans. She is out campaigning today, engaging with voters about the issues that matter, not swapping soundbites with six other politicians.

"There is a clear choice in this election: either the Brexit negotiations are led by Theresa May 11 days after polling day, or they will be put at risk by Jeremy Corbyn and his coalition of chaos."

A Conservative source said: "The public want to see a leader who can stare down the EU-27 at the negotiation table, not someone who will need their iPad to remember their dodgy facts in a debate."