The Republican Party are staging their first presidential debate tonight with Ron DeSantis looking to steal the lime-light from missing frontrunner, Donald Trump. Eight candidates met the Republican National Committee’s criteria to qualify for tonight’s showdown.

The two-hour debate doesn’t air until the early hours of Thursday morning (August 24) for UK viewers and will be moderated by Fox News Channel hosts Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. Donald Trump - who leads DeSantis by an overwhelming 37 percentage points - decided not to attend after refusing to sign a pledge to support other Republican candidates.

But where can you watch the first Republican presidential debate in the UK and who are the eight candidates taking to the stage?

How to watch first Republican presidential debate?

The first debate among Republican Party candidates will be broadcast on all of Fox’s platforms, including Fox News Digital, Fox News Audio, Fox Business Network, and its streaming service, Fox Nation. Unlike previous years, the debate will air exclusively on Fox’s network of channels.

UK viewers can watch the debate from 1am, which will last approximately two hours and end at 3am.

Republican presidential debate 2023 candidates

• Florida Governor Ron DeSantis

• Former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley

• Ex-New Jersey Governor Chris Christie

• North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum

• Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy

• South Carolina Senator Tim Scott

• Mike Pence, former vice-president to Mr Trump

• Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson