Nick Clegg: 'the election is wide open'
Updated on 17 April 2010
Nick Clegg has declared "the election is wide open", as latest polls shows his party pushing Labour into third place. Political correspondent Cathy Newman reports.
The Liberal Democrat leader has told supporters '"something exciting" is happening in politics, after his surge in support following the televised leaders debate.
But David Cameron (see the Tory leader's Who Knows Who profile), whose chances of victory could be threatened by a Lib Dem revival, has warned his supporters that a hung parliament would be a disaster.
He took his election campaign back to his own seat of Witney in Oxfordshire as he launched an attempted fightback earlier.
He steered clear of naming either Clegg or his rival's party, telling the crowd: "A hung parliament would be a bunch of politicians haggling, not deciding.
"They would be fighting for their own interests not fighting for your interests.
"They would not be making long-term decisions for the country's future, they would be making short-term decisions for their own future.
"The way we are going to get things done is to have a decisive Conservative government."
Nick Clegg (see his Who Knows Who profile) enjoyed an almost Hollywood reception on a visit to Surrey and the Lib Dems certainly thinks he is a now bit of a star.
His performance in the first TV debate has been widely praised.
Election barometer: see latest expert analysis here
Hung parliament guide: independent analyst Greg Callus explains
Leaders' debate in 60 seconds: see the highlights here
(Brown, Clegg or Cameron: who has the pulling power? - Getty Images)
Labour officials are spinning the new poll figures in another direction.
They claim that David Cameron's bid for Number 10 is in "disarray".
Gordon Brown (see the PM's Who Knows Who profile) and Lord Mandelson have suggested the Tory campaign is in a "strategic mess" because of the outpouring of support for Clegg.
During a campaign trip to Milton Keynes, the prime minister said: "As the dust settles after the first two weeks, people will have all their views about style and about presentation and about the images and personality.
"But, you know, an election like this is a big choice and it comes down to very, very big issues, and it comes down to big choices people have to make about the big issues of the future."
Meanwhile, the English Democrats have launched their general election campaign, with candidates running in more than 100 seats across England.
The party's chairman, Robin Tilbrook, called for referenda on taking England out of the EU and a devolved Parliament for England.
