Broadcasters BBC, ITN and Sky have all confirmed members of the DUP will not be invited to take part in key television debates ahead of Britain's general election, which is set to take place later this year.

BBC reports that the broadcasters are planning three debates. One will involve Conservative and Labour Party leaders David Cameron and Ed Miliband, and two more also involving other parties - the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party, UKIP, the SNP (Scottish National Party) and the Welsh party Plaid Cymru. 

The DUP had demanded to be part of the debates, with the party's leader Peter Robinson saying the BBC said they could not invite only one political party from Northern Ireland:

1/2) received irrational response from BBC DG re: debates. No valid reason for DUP's exclusion offered.

— Peter Robinson (@DUPleader) January 28, 2015

2/2) offered excuse that they couldn't invite 1 NI party without the others. Ignores fact that 3 parties currently invited stand in NI.

— Peter Robinson (@DUPleader) January 28, 2015

BBC quotes the organisation's Director General, who said "we would not be fulfilling our obligations of impartiality to the voters of Northern Ireland if we were to invite one of the Northern Ireland parties but not all the others, which also have substantial support in Northern Ireland."

While the Northern Irish parties are not set to be invited to the main debates, BBC and UTV both plan dedicated debates with all the larger parties in Northern Ireland.

Mr Robinson had written to the broadcasters, saying the decision “cannot logically or legally be defended.”

“What is not acceptable is a situation where the largest party in Northern Ireland is to be excluded while regional parties from Scotland and Wales, with fewer seats in Parliament than the DUP, are to be included,” Mr Robinson added.

“The proposed decision is rightly seen as a further attempt by the broadcasters to marginalise Northern Ireland from the national debate,” he said.