An average of five polls conducted immediately after the Sky TV Leaders Election debate on Thursday night put Nick Clegg as the winner, with all instant polls showing him ahead of Gordon Brown. After the Foreign Affairs-led debate from Bristol dominated by issues like Iraq, immigration and climate change, Nick Clegg won 3 of the 5 polls on the night, building on his position after the first debate.

The second Party Leaders Debate is taking place this Thursday starting at 8pm on Sky News. Nick Clegg, Gordon Brown and David Cameron will again be going head to head in a TV debate in the run up to the General Election on May 6th, this time leading on Foreign Affairs.

The first half of the 90 minute Election Debate on Sky News will be devoted to Foreign Affairs, with the rest on any topic. The debate comes from Bristol, and will be chaired by Adam Boulton. Sky are inviting questions before the debate, with more information at http://news.sky.com/skynews/Election/debatequestion

Latest voting intention 20 April

Author: by Anthony Wells

YouGov - Our latest daily polling figures for The Sun (fieldwork 19th-20th April; sample size 1,595) are:

Conservative 31%

Labour 26%

Liberal Democrat 34%

Others 9%

The polls following the first ever Party Leaders General Election debate on ITV are showing that Nick Clegg has won a convincing victory over David Cameron and Gordon Brown. The debate was the first ever Leaders debate during a UK General Election campaign, and the pollsters are giving it as a big victory for Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats.

If you have been amazed by the very high quality Tory election literature, then just think for a moment about who is paying the bills.

Yet another secretive Tory donor has been poked out of the woodwork. This time it is Swiss-born UK citizen Henry Angest. He has funnelled almost £7m to the Tories in donations and loans over the past 9 years, according to a national newspaper.

Nick Clegg has launched the Liberal Democrat General Election manifesto. The manifesto sets out four clear priorities of fair taxes, a fair chance for every child, a fair economy, and a fair deal by cleaning up politics.

At the launch, Nick Clegg said:

"Every manifesto needs to have an idea at its heart. The basic idea that animates this manifesto is something I have always believed. I believe every single person is extraordinary.

Nick Clegg said: "The proposal from the Conservatives for tax breaks for marriage are patronising drivel that belong in the Edwardian age. David Cameron clearly has no idea about modern life. Every family is different, and instead of creating rigid rules or special policies that help some families but not others, we need a new approach from government: one that is flexible and doesn't dictate to families how they should live."

Following Gordon Brown's announcement s that the election would be on May 6 Nick Clegg said : "It is a very exciting opportunity for everyone in Britain who wants fairness and real change, who wants something different.

"This isn't the old politics of a two-horse race between Labour and the Conservative Party. The real choice is between the old politics of Labour and Conservatives and something different, something new and that is what we offer."

The Liberal Democrats have set out radical plans to revitalise the railways by improving and reopening rail lines and stations.

The party will set up a Rail Expansion Fund of nearly £3bn from which councils and transport authorities can bid for money to pay for rail improvement and expansion projects.

Britain needed a Budget that gave us honesty in spending and fairness in tax. Alistair Darling has given us neither. Labour is in denial, while the Conservatives are talking tough to cover up the fact that they only offer more of the same.

The Chancellor is incapable of coming clean about where spending cuts will have to fall. Rather than being honest with people about what the Government can and cannot afford, he would rather let others indiscriminately shave departmental budgets.