BBC Election Debate 2015: Absent David Cameron biggest loser as Ed Miliband rules TV showdown

Spirited Ed Miliband routed his opponents tonight as gutless David Cameron dodged the final TV debate.

In a fiery performance the Labour leader tore into SNP chief Nicola Sturgeon and UKIP leader Nigel Farage in the five-way ‘challengers debate’ on BBC1.

A snap Survation poll immediately afterwards declared Mr Miliband the clear winner.

And he pulled ahead of gutless Mr Cameron as voters’ preferred choice of Prime Minister.
Ladbrokes said Mr Miliband is now the favourite to walk into Downing street next month.

Mr Miliband faced huge pressure from Ms Sturgeon to agree a deal with the SNP in the event of a hung Parliament.

But he blasted: “For every one less Labour MP, the likelihood is that we end up with David Cameron and Nick Clegg - perhaps with a bit of Nigel thrown in.”


And he told her: “You want to gamble on getting rid of the Tory government. I can guarantee that we get rid of the Tory government.”

In another impressive showing, Ms Sturgeon begged the Labour leader to agree a deal to “lock out” the Tories from Government.

“Don’t turn your back on it,” she pleaded. ”People will never forgive you.”

But the Labour chief said a vote for his own party us the only way to stop a Tory victory.

“The real danger in this country is of a re-elected David Cameron, of falling living standards, of a threat to our National Health Service,” he raged.

Cowardly Mr Cameron took a kicking from all sides for his decision to duck the big debate.
His Lib Dem sidekick Nick Clegg also failed to appear following a closed-doors deal with the broadcasters.

Mr Miliband threw down the gauntlet to the absent PM, demanding a head-to-head debate before election day.

And to rapturous applause from the studio audience, Ms Sturgeon added: “It’s a disgrace that David Cameron is not here.”

In the the top Tory’s absence it was left to Mr Farage to make the case for a right-wing Government.

But the UKIP chief floundered as Mr Miliband attacked his plan to cut the income tax rate for millionaires from 45p to 40p.

“Nigel actually wants to cut the top rate of income tax even further for the highest earners,” Mr Miliband said.

“This idea that you just help the rich and powerful, and the wealth will just trickle down to everyone else, is not the answer.”

Panicking Mr Farage tried to backpedal, claiming: “You obviously haven’t read the manifesto. We haven’t proposed tax cuts for the rich.”

But on page seven of the UKIP manifesto it states: “We will aim to make 40% the top rate of tax for all.”

Under pressure from all sides, Mr Farage accused Mr Miliband of “lying” and even lashed out at the studio audience for supposed “left-wing” bias.

But he was slapped down by BBC host David Dimbleby, who said the crowd was hand-picked by pollsters to represent a cross-section of the public.

Mr Miliband’s stickiest moments came when an anti-austerity alliance of Ms Sturgeon, Plaid Cymru chief Leanne Wood and Green Party leader Natalie Bennet co-ordinated attacks on his plan to cut spending.

But the Labour chief was declared the clear winner afterwards with 35% of the public support.

Ms Sturgeon was second on 31%, with Mr Farage third on 27%. Ms Bennett and Ms Wood were a distant fourth and fifth, on 5% and 2% respectively.