David Cameron matches Nick Clegg in close-run TV battle

Published on Thursday 22 April 2010 23:15

THE General Election contest remained deadlocked last night, as the second TV debate saw the three party leaders fight themselves into a virtual tie.

• David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Gordon Brown do battle last night in Bristol. Picture: PA

Liberal Democrat aides breathed a sigh of relief as a post-debate poll showed leader Nick Clegg had been judged the narrow winner by 33 per cent of voters, as against 30 per cent to Gordon Brown and David Cameron.

While a smaller poll had Mr Cameron as the winner, the 90-minute debate appeared not to have burst the Lib Dem bubble.

Analysis of five polls taken together put Mr Clegg and Mr Cameron tied on 33 per cent, with Mr Brown on 27 per cent.

The most notable exchange of the evening saw Mr Cameron accuse Labour of spreading "lies" in election leaflets that claim the Tories are planning to withdraw pensioner benefits.

In a series of testy exchanges between the two front-runners, the Tory leader turned to face Mr Brown and declared he "should be ashamed" of "frightening" people over Tory policies.

Mr Cameron said: "I just want to say very clearly to people in the audience and those watching at home, these letters are pure and simple lies."

He then challenged Mr Brown to withdraw the letters. Thrust on the defensive, Mr Brown said: "I have not authorised those."

It led the Tories to claim last night they had Mr Brown on the run, as both they and the SNP produced several Labour leaflets that allege their opponents are preparing to withdraw the benefits.

Within moments of the debate ending, the Tories had produced a new poster, attacking Mr Brown over his response and mocking him up as the dithering Vicky Pollard character from TV's Little Britain.

That exchange marked the one time Mr Brown was put on the defensive as, like last week, he put on an aggressive show. Unlike last week, he also took on Mr Clegg, at one stage arguing that the Lib Dem leader needed to "get real" over Trident.

An instant YouGov poll of 1,000 voters asked people who had performed the best. It put Mr Cameron on 36 per cent, Mr Clegg on 32 per cent and Mr Brown on 29 per cent.

But a larger ComRes poll, of 2,700 voters, put Mr Clegg ahead. It also showed that, on voting intentions, the Lib Dems were in the lead on 36 per cent, with the Tories one point behind and Labour on 24 per cent. Asked who gave the most honest answers, Mr Clegg came out on top, with 42 per cent rating him the most straight with voters.

There was also a boost for Mr Brown. Asked who had performed better than expected, the Prime Minister came out on top with 47 per cent – more than double the rating for Mr Clegg and Mr Cameron.

The opening moments saw the three leaders attempt to set the tone. Mr Brown, speaking first, sought to make a virtue of his dour image. "If it is all about style and PR, count me out. If it is about delivering a better future, I'm your man. Like me or not, I can deliver that plan," he said.

Mr Clegg continued his theme of last week, asserting there were "big differences" between him and the two "old parties".

Later, he borrowed the campaigning tactics of Barack Obama to argue that "people are beginning to believe, beginning to hope, that we can do something different this time. Don't let anyone tell you that this time it can't be different. It can."

Despite the fact the debate was about foreign affairs, Mr Cameron chose effectively to repeat his initial pitch to the domestic audience at home, saying: "It is clear from last week's debate that the country wants change, but what sort of change?"

The ensuing debate was far sharper than last week, with Mr Brown stepping up the heat on his two opponents from the opening stages. As the Lib Dem and Tory leaders argued over Europe, he raised the first laugh of the debate by declaring: "You two remind me of my two young boys squabbling at bath time."

Mr Brown turned to Mr Cameron to say he was "a risk to the economy". Then, taking on Mr Clegg over the question of Trident, he said: "Get real, Nick." That remark drew a wry comment from Mr Cameron, as he declared that he agreed with Mr Brown.

Having learned from the Mr Clegg's performance last week, Mr Cameron sought to steal his clothes, arguing that it was Labour and the Lib Dems who were spreading the "same old message". Borrowing the Lib Dem slogan, he argued that only the Conservatives would deliver "real change".

The post-debate spin war was dominated by Mr Brown's claim he had not "authorised" attack leaflets on the Tories which suggested the Tories would cut pensioners' winter fuel payments, free bus passes and TV licences.

The Tory manifesto expressly pledges to "protect" all such payments. But Labour leaflets issued in marginal Tory-Labour seats such as Dumfries and Galloway assert that the Tories are "threatening to slash or axe" them.

Shadow Scottish secretary David Mundell said: "Gordon Brown says he did not authorise Labour's dishonest leaflets, which were deliberately targeting the most vulnerable people in our society. Is he prepared to apologise for the leaflet lies and the disgraceful campaign that Labour has been running in Scotland?"

A Labour spokesman said they were only challenging the Tories on free prescriptions and eye tests, which are not mentioned in the Conservative manifesto. A spokesman said: "As Gordon Brown said, there have been no sanctioned national leaflets on any other basis."

The row is sure to run today, as the fall-out from the debate continues. The debate was dominated initially by foreign affairs, as Mr Cameron came under attack over the Conservatives' policies in Europe.

Commenting on the Tories' decision to remove themselves from the main centre-right group in Brussels, Mr Brown said: "It's the big society at home, but it is Little Britain abroad."

The first hour ended with Mr Brown continuing his attack on Tory plans for "a big society" – handing more power to communities and taking it away from the state. Mr Brown said: "You can't run the health service on the self-help principle."

In his closing statement, the Prime Minister played up the risks of both Tory and Lib Dem parties: "I would say this evening that, David, you are a risk to the economy; Nick, you are a risk because of what you are saying on Iran and nuclear weapons to our security."

In his closing comments immediately afterwards, Mr Cameron said: "I don't know about you, but I thought all of that sounded slightly desperate."

IN QUOTES

OPENING STATEMENTS

CAMERON: "I want us to keep our defences strong. I want to keep our borders secure and our country safe. Real change comes not just from politicians, but from when we all recognise that we have responsibilities, that we're in this together."

CLEGG: "I want us to lead in the world. I want us to lead in Europe, not complain from the sidelines. I want us to lead in creating a world free of nuclear weapons. And I want us to lead on the biggest challenge of all: climate change."

BROWN: "This may have the feel of a TV popularity contest, but in truth this is an election about Britain's future. If it's all about style and PR, count me out. If it's about the big decisions, if it's about judgment, if it's about delivering a better future, I'm your man."

ON EUROPE

BROWN: "You both remind me of my two young boys squabbling at bath time. Squabbling about whether to have a referendum on the European Union."

CLEGG: "How on earth does it help anyone… David Cameron, to join together in the European Union with a bunch of nutters, anti-Semites, people who deny climate change exists, homophobes."

How they rated

David Cameron

RATING

33%

Best move

When he went in for the kill on Gordon Brown, accusing Labour of telling "lies" over Conservative policy on benefits for pensioners.

Worst move

Twice he said: "I agree with Gordon."

Style

Abandoned team colours of blue for his tie and changed to purple, which experts claim makes people feel more calm.

His constant pitch was that the only chance for "change" was with the Conservatives.

Substance

The moment he guaranteed free eye tests for the elderly. Somehow it had been missed out of the manifesto.

Gordon Brown

RATING

27%

Best move

Got the most laughs when he compared his opponents to his two sons fighting at bathtime.

Worst move

When he tried to focus on Conservative policies on the elderly, opening him up to an accusation of lying.

Style

Mr Brown tried to make a virtue out of his lack of style.

He also replaced "I agree with Nick" with "Get real, Nick."

Substance

In his summing-up, he turned on his two opponents and addressed them directly as risks to the future of the UK. Clegg is a "risk on security" and Cameron a "risk to the economy".

Nick Clegg

RATING

33%

Best move

To turn his supposed Achilles' heel of being a Europhile around by attacking Cameron for allying himself with "nutters and homophobes" in the European Parliament.

Worst move

When Cameron said Clegg's immigration policy would end up with border posts on the M5.

Style

Making eye contact with the viewer, addressing questioners personally.

Substance

Equipment, equipment, equipment. His repeated emphasis on this when discussing Afghanistan and saying that "never again" should soldiers be sent out without proper support.

ON TRIDENT

CAMERON: "I profoundly believe that we are safer having an independent nuclear deterrent in an unsafe and uncertain world, a proper replacement to Trident."

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Comment:

Commentators and readers give their verdict

David Maddox: Keeping watch on the a-word for those who had a flutter