Election TV debate: Leaders clash over NHS, cuts and immigration

 

Nick Clegg: "You need to take in a balanced approach, you do need to reduce spending but you also need to ask the richest to make a contribution" 

The UK's party leaders have clashed in the first TV election debate on a range of issues including the NHS, immigration and the deficit.

It is the only time David Cameron and Ed Miliband will appear together on TV ahead of 7 May's polling day.
The Conservative and Labour leaders, as well as the leaders of the Lib Dems, UKIP, the Green Party, the SNP and Plaid Cymru, also debated zero-hours contracts, spending cuts and education in the ITV-hosted contest.
But some of the sharpest exchanges in the two-hour event came when Lib Dem Nick Clegg clashed with Mr Cameron.
Snap polls taken after the debate gave a mixed verdict.

 
A YouGov poll of 1,100 people gave a clear victory to the SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, with 28%, followed by UKIP leader Nigel Farage on 20%, Mr Cameron on 18%, Mr Miliband on 15%, Mr Clegg on 10%, Green Party leader Natalie Bennett on 5% and Plaid Cymru's Leanne Wood on 4%.

'Pick and mix'

But a ComRes poll for ITV made it a dead heat between Mr Cameron, Mr Miliband, Mr Farage and Ms Sturgeon, although Mr Cameron came out on top on the question of who was most capable of leading the country.
Mr Miliband was judged best performer in an ICM poll for the Guardian, taking 25% of support, just ahead of David Cameron on 24%.