Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats.
The ITV / COMRES poll held by ITV and announced shortly after the debate gave Nick Clegg as the winner by a huge margin:
YouGov, Channel 4, Guardian, Daily Mail, The Times and Angus Reid polls following the debate also scored Nick Clegg as the clear winner of the first Leaders debate. Angus Reid said that 42% of voters were more likely to vote for the Liberal Democrats as a result of the debate.
The Daily Telegraph’s headline following the debate said “Clegg’s star rises in great TV showdown”.
The Times comment “Enter the Outsider: Nick Clegg seizes his moment in historic TV debate”.
Even Conservative commentator and blogger Iain Dale said “I think Nick Clegg won the day”.
In summing up the debate, Nick Clegg said Labour and the Tories have made the “same old mistakes over and over again. Despite all the problems and challenges we have, we can be hopeful about the future if we chose something different.”