Cameron, Miliband hold debate with other leaders

British Prime Minister David Cameron and opposition leader Ed Miliband faced their one and only live television debate of the election campaign on Thursday night, along with five others in a seven-way contest.

With exactly five weeks to go until the May 7 vote, opinion polls suggest it remains too close to call, although one of the two men will be taking the keys to Downing Street.

The two-hour debate saw Mr Cameron and Mr Miliband share a panel with the leaders of the Liberal Democrats — who share power in the coalition government — the UK Independence Party (UKIP), the Greens and the Scottish and Welsh nationalists.

Neither Mr Cameron’s Conservatives nor Miliband’s Labour look yet able to win a majority in the House of Commons, raising the prospect of another coalition or a minority government.

With an eye on holding the balance of power, the other party leaders will use Thursday’s debate in Manchester, northwest England, to try to raise their profiles.

In the 2010 election, when television debates took place for the first time, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg’s performance sent his party’s ratings soaring — although it is now bracing to lose half its seats next month.

Each leader was given one minute to answer the question put to them before a studio audience, followed by a debate, with four major issues expected to be addressed.

After Mr Cameron refused to take part in a head-to-head battle with Mr Miliband, it was the Labour leader’s only opportunity to press the prime minister.

UKIP leader Nigel Farage, whose anti-European Union, anti-immigration message has won over many disaffected Conservatives voters, was also be challenging the premier.

The blunt speaking MEP has been preparing “rigorously” for the debate, his campaign chief Patrick O’Flynn said.

“Obviously this will be the only chance he gets to be on the same stage as David Cameron,” Mr O’Flynn said. Cameron was separated from both Miliband and Farage on the panel by Welsh nationalist leader Leanne Wood and Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon. Green party leader Nathalie Bennett and Clegg complete the line-up.

The debate was one of four such events during the campaign, the first of which took place last week with Cameron and Miliband appearing one after the other to be quizzed in front of a live studio audience.

Leaders of the main opposition parties — Labour, the SNP, UKIP, the Greens and Welsh nationalists Plaid Cymru — will take part in another debate on April 16.