Ed Miliband has accused David Cameron of "cowering from the public" after the Prime Minister ruled out a head-to-head TV debate.
The Labour leader told Mr Cameron it was time to "stop ducking and weaving and name the date".
Last night the Prime Minister issued an ultimatum to broadcasters saying he will only take part in one 90-minute TV election debate with at least seven party leaders before the end of March - ruling out going toe-to-toe with Mr Miliband.
The move has sparked an angry response and Mr Cameron has been accused of "moral cowardice", being "frit" and of trying to "bully" broadcasters.
Mr Miliband said: "It is now clear that David Cameron is ducking the debate with me. He is cowering from the public.
"The British people deserve this debate. I'll debate him any time, any place, anywhere."
But Mr Cameron denied the claim he was "cowering" from the British public and said was putting forward a proposal which "unlocked the logjam the broadcasters caused".
The Electoral Reform Society has said it would be a "national embarrassment" if the debates did not take place.
Chief Executive of the Electoral Reform Society Katie Ghose said: "Compared to other advanced democracies around the world, Britain has been extremely late to the party when it comes to TV debates.
"It would be a national embarrassment if we end up being the first to leave that party as well. No TV debates in 2015 would be a backward step in terms of our democratic development."
Nick Clegg has suggested he take the Prime Minister's place at the head-to-head with Mr Miliband.
Speaking on his weekly LBC radio phone-in he said: "Having been in government for five years, I also have this old-fashioned view that I want to defend the record of this Government.
"If David Cameron is too busy or too important to defend the record of this Government with Ed Miliband, then I offer myself. I'll do it instead."
Tony Blair's former spokesman Alastair Campbell accused Mr Cameron of "weasling and wriggling" out of the debates and said he was guilty of "moral cowardice".
He said: "He doesn't want to do it. He is worried that he is going to lose."
And he added: "I think it underlines the utter contempt David Cameron actually has for people."
Lib Dem election campaign leader Lord Ashdown told Sky News Mr Cameron's proposals amounted to a "90-minute, bite-size squabblefest" and accused the Prime Minister of being "frit".
But Mr Cameron claims the public already knows what the Conservative and Labour proposals are.
The Prime Minister's final offer on the debates, which he said in 2010 were vital to democracy, was made in a letter sent to Sue Inglish, the chair of the broadcasters' leaders' debates committee, by his communications director Craig Oliver.
In a joint statement the broadcasters said: "The broadcasters are committed to providing our audiences with election debates. 22 million people watched the debates in 2010 and we believe the debates helped people to engage with the election."
The BBC and ITV have proposed each staging a debate involving Mr Cameron, Mr Miliband, Nick Clegg, the Greens' Natalie Bennett, Nigel Farage of UKIP, the SNP's Nicola Sturgeon and Plaid Cymru's Leanne Wood.
A Sky News poll found 79% of people would be less likely to vote for a party leader who refused to take part in a debate.
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