Our next prime minister will be scrutinised by the public on live tv. And rightly so. | thearticle

It would be all too easy to roll your eyes as yet another lesser-known Conservative MP declares that they are the right person to be Prime Minister. Few of us are eligible to vote for

Theresa May’s successor, and only slightly-obsessive Westminster watchers know anything about most of the candidates. With the Brexit shenanigans ongoing, it is easy to wonder who on Earth

would want to be Prime Minister at the moment anyway. But to dismiss the contest like that would profoundly miss the point, and not just because whoever the Conservative party elects will be

the country’s leader at this delicate time. Theresa May, for all her undoubted grit, resilience and patriotism, ultimately failed as Prime Minister. She did not get a Brexit deal approved.

Long after the original Article 50 deadline, Britain is still trying to organise its way out of the EU. A significant part of why she was so out of her depth in Number 10 was the fact she

had never really been publicly tested in the campaign to be Tory leader. In 2016, Boris Johnson did not stand, Stephen Crabb (remember him?!) barley made a mark, Michael Gove was carrying

too much baggage and Andrea Leadsom self-destructed. Mrs May never faced a vote by her membership and so never really had to step out of her comfort zone and campaign. It all meant that in

the end, it was a coronation, not an election. Her style, approach and policies, amongst much else, were never put under any significant scrutiny. She famously declared at the start of her

campaign “I’m Theresa May and I think I’m the best person to be Prime Minister,” and that was really as far is went. At the time of writing this column we have 12 MPs standing to be

Conservative leader and Prime Minister, with another, Jesse Norman, “consulting”. From hard-Leavers like Esther Mcvey and Johnson, through to pragmatic Brexiteers like James Cleverly and

Michael Gove, all the way to the more moderate Rory Stewart and Matt Hancock, there is a diversity of opinion to a range of topics on offer. Exactly what is needed. The best way to test

these candidates is though public debate. I am pleased to see that the BBC will hold three such events during the campaign period. First, Emily Maitlis will moderate a debate between all the

candidates, there will then be a Question Time Special between the final two selected by Tory MPs, who will face questions from the audience. They will also be grilled by Andrew Neil on a

separate programme. The BBC held a similar set of debates between Labour leadership hopefuls in 2015. Sky News will hold a live debate between the final two Conservative candidates, chaired

by Kay Burley in front of a studio audience as well. By the time this is all done we are more likely to be sick of the candidates then not know anything much about them. There will be plenty

of opportunity for the public to hear from the next occupant of No. 10. Any flaws will surely have been exposed in the face of such scrutiny. This is as it should be. In a time of huge

disconnect between the public and politicians, we must all feel that we are engaged in the process to pick the new PM. As BBC Director BBC News and Current Affairs Fran Unsworth said as her

organisation’s plans were announced: “Although the final say will fall to Conservative party members, it’s firmly in the public interest for audiences to question and hear from the next

potential Prime Minister.” It most certainly is. In fairness some candidates are trying to connect particularly Stewart. The International Development Secretary is getting out and about,

meeting people. He is using Facebook and Twitter very effectively, telling the public where he is and calling on those who are around to come and meet him and ask him questions. He was at

Kew Gardens the other day, Wigan another. However, televised debates remain one of the best ways to reach a mass audience. Frankly, I’d like social media companies to host discussions too –

a Conservative Candidates Facebook Live, for instance. Basically, the more scrutiny, the more pressure, these people are put under the better. The winner is going to becoming Prime Minister

at a tumultuous time for the country so they need testing. The public also need to feel some connection, that they know something about them. Theresa May was never tested during her bid to

be leader and subsequently never really broke through to the public. Whatever happens in the next few weeks, it is essential that the the Conservative contenders are asked the difficult

questions.