Britain’s main commercial broadcaster has been warned by the official Leave campaign that it faces “consequences for its future” after scheduling a debate between Nigel Farage and David Cameron in the run-up to the EU referendum.

In an extraordinary statement issued late last night Vote Leave accused ITV of “lying” over its plans to invite Mr Farage to take part in the debate instead of Michael Gove or Boris Johnson.

They suggested ITV News’ respected political editor Robert Peston was biased in favour of the EU and accused the organisation of “secretly stitching up a deal” with Downing Street.

“ITV has effectively joined the official IN campaign,” said a Vote Leave statement to journalists.

“There will be consequences for its future - the people in No10 won't be there for long.”

This morning a spokesman for Vote Leave refused to back down from the threat of “consequences” for ITV but refused to say what they might be.

Mr Cameron is widely expected to be forced to resign if he fails to win the referendum with Mr Johnson most likely to take his place. He will now be under pressure to say what those “consequences” might be.

The row started after ITV announced it was going to hold an hour-long live programme on June 7 in which David Cameron and Nigel Farage would in turn answer questions from a studio audience of around 200 people.

Mr Farage and David Cameron will take it in turns to make their pitches to the nation before answering audience questions (Dan Kitwood/Getty)

While Mr Farage is perhaps the most prominent anti-EU campaigner in the country he is not directly connected to Vote Leave the officially designated anti EU campaign group run by Mr Johnson and Mr Gove.

But Downing Street are determined that Mr Cameron is not seen directly debating his fellow Tory colleagues as they fear that would enflame internal tensions in the party – and could backfire on the Remain campaign.

What to believe about the EU referendum

Vote Leave campaigners fear that ITV agreed to Mr Farage appearing in order to get the Prime Minister to take part.

In an extraordinary statement issued last night to media organisations they wrote: “They (Downing Steet) are fixing the debates to shut out the official campaign.

“ITV is led by people like Robert Peston who campaigned for Britain to join the euro. ITV has lied to us in private while secretly stitching up a deal with Cameron to stop Boris Johnson or Michael Gove debating the issues properly. ITV has effectively joined the official IN campaign and there will be consequences for its future - the people in No10 won't be there for long.”

What's the European Parliament ever done for us? Show all 5 1 /5 What's the European Parliament ever done for us? What's the European Parliament ever done for us? A cap on the amount of hours an employer can make you work The Working Time directive provides legal standards to ensure the health and safety of employees in Europe. Among the many rules are a working week of a maximum 48 hours, including overtime, a daily rest period of 11 hours in every 24, a break if a person works for six hours or more, and one day off in every seven. It also includes provisions for paid annual leave of at least four weeks every year Getty Images What's the European Parliament ever done for us? Helping the people of Britain to avoid smoking In 2014 MEPs passed the Tobacco Products Directive strengthening existing rules on the manufacture, production and presentation of tobacco products. This includes things like reduced branding, restrictions on products containing flavoured tobacco, health warnings on cigarette packets and provisions for e-cigarettes to ensure they are safe What's the European Parliament ever done for us? Helping you to make the right choices with your food Thanks to the European Parliament, UK consumers have access to more information than ever about their food and drink. This includes amount of fat, and how much of it is saturated, carbohydrates, sugars, protein and so on. It also includes portion sizes and guideline daily amount information so people can make informed choices about their diet. All facts must be clear and easy to understand What's the European Parliament ever done for us? Two year guarantees and 14-day returns policy for all products Consumers across the EU have access to a number of rights, from things which are potentially very useful, to things which used to be annoying. For example, shoppers in the UK receive a two-year guarantee on all products, and a 14-day period to change their minds and return a purchase, these things are useful www.PeopleImages.com-licence restrictions apply What's the European Parliament ever done for us? Keeping your air nice and fresh (and safe) Believe it or not, although the situation is improving, some areas of the UK have appalling air quality. A report by the Royal College of Physicians released on 23 February says 40,000 deaths are caused by outdoor air pollution in the UK every year. Air pollution is linked to a number of illnesses and conditions, from Asthma to diabetes and dementia. The report estimates the costs to British business and the health service add up to £20 billion every year

But Nigel Farage's Spokesman accused Vote Leave of running a campaign designed to exlude the Ukip leader from taking a role in the debate.

“Once again sadly we see Vote Leave seeking to exclude Nigel Farage and UKIP from this referendum campaign,” he said.

The Vote Leave campaign has said it wants Michael Gove to talk part in the debates instead (Reuters)

“It is deeply disappointing that rather than rallying behind Nigel Farage for what will be the biggest one-on-one debate of the referendum campaign, Vote Leave are instead threatening court action to stop Nigel from taking on the Prime Minister.