United Kingdom

A CHELMSFORD schoolboy stole the limelight in the first televised leaders' debate when his question set the agenda for the politicians and sparked a social media storm.

The Assembly's only Ukip MLA has written to the BBC to demand that his party be included in a local leaders debate programme.

BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Nicky Campbell will host the show from Grimsby Fish Docks and it is expected that each of the seven candidates vying for the seat will debate the issues of the day.

The notes show the meticulous preparation the Labour leader had undertaken ahead of the debate and the extent to which some of his phrases were wellrehearsed lines.

Four of the most senior female politicians in Britain have signed up to a live election debate onLBC.

The election on May 7 is set to be the tightest in Britain for decades partly because traditionally minor parties such as UKIP and the Green Party are polling much higher than before.

The Conservatives and Labour have both claimed victory in the aftermath of Thursday's TV election debate between the leaders of seven political parties.

An average audience of 7.7m, which was a share of 34%, watched the debate on ITV, the BBC News Channel or Sky News.

The seven-way party leaders' TV debate drew an average audience of seven million viewers during its two-hour broadcast on ITV on Thursday night.

The main TV debate of Britain's national election campaign yielded no clear victor with four opinion polls producing four different winners, but David Cameron's attempt to appear the most statesman-like appeared to have paid off.

When I was watching the debate, I felt the leaders were sticking to the old divisive tactics, picking on what the other parties have done in the past and blaming ethnic minority groups or using “popular” causes to try to win votes. Where were the new ideas we should be capable of with all our wealth

With just 35 days until Britons head to the polls, the leaders of seven political parties battled it out on the small screen to win votes in a televised debate.