by Sun Meilan

Created on: April 16, 2010   Last Updated: May 03, 2012

For the first time in UK general election history, a televised election debate took place between party leaders - Gordon Brown for Labour, David Cameron for the Conservatives and Nick Clegg for the Liberal Democrats. Filmed on ITV, the debate lasted for 90 minutes and concentrated on domestic affairs. The party leaders put a great deal of effort into preparing for the debate, knowing that putting a foot wrong could mean the loss of huge numbers of voters. Two more 90 minute debates are due to take place over the next couple of weeks. The Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru (The Party of Wales) didn't take part in the debate, but will have separate debates. 

The debate was moderated by Alistair Stewart, a British journalist and newscaster, who had a tough job keeping the leaders in check. Strict rules were worked out in advance, including each leader being allowed an opening statement, just one minute in length, along with a ninety second closing statement. The rules were agreed in consultation with all parties, although David Cameron had expressed concern that it would mean that the debate wouldn't run as smoothly as it should. Nick Clegg, aware that it was an incredibly important opportunity for him to prove the worth of the Liberal Democrats, claimed in advance that it was 'the biggest job interview you could ever imagine'. 

The debate based on questions from the 200 strong audience. The issues discussed can be summarized as follows: 

Opening (and closing) remarks: 

Nick Clegg spoke first, pleading for the public to vote Liberal Democrat this time, because change is needed. Gordon Brown warned against a 'double-dip' recession, and stressed the need to protect the National Health Service, education and police. David Cameron claimed that Britain needed change and that only the Conservatives could bring it. 

Immigration: 

David Cameron claimed that it is out of control and the numbers of immigrants entering the UK need to be capped. Gordon Brown and Nick Clegg both spoke out against him, although Gordon Brown admitted that tighter controls needed to be put in place and Nick Clegg said that the administration of the immigration system was in chaos and needed to be reformed.

Crime: 

David Cameron expressed concern about the leniency of sentencing, whereas Nick Clegg criticized the Labour Party's plan for ID cards. Gordon Brown stressed the need for an increase in the effectiveness of the police service and for more parents

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