How British newspapers covered leaders’ election debate

Different takes on debate winner as seven political leaders go head-to-head

Thursday night’s TV election debate in Britain saw seven of the country’s leaders go head-to-head live and drew some differing verdicts from national newspapers.

The Guardian led with "Labour buoyed as Miliband edges Cameron in snap poll", while the Daily Telegraph reported the opposite view, with "Miliband flops as outsiders shine".

The Sun also came down heavy on Ed Milband's performance, leading with "Oops! I just lost my election", while the Daily Express gave "Cool Cameron" the win.

The Times opted for "Enter the outsiders" and cited a Times poll that showed UKIP leader Nigel Farage out front alongside Nicola Sturgeon.

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The Independent also listed Ms Sturgeon as the winner based on a post-election poll.

#leadersdebate was trending on Twitter throughout the debate and on Friday morning, with many commenting on Nigel Farage's remarks about foreign nationals with HIV and pressure on NHS funding.

Dean Ruxton

Dean Ruxton

Dean Ruxton is an Audience Editor at The Irish Times. He also writes the Lost Leads archive series