Sturgeon Performance Dominates Debate Analysis

Nicola Sturgeon hit back at claims that too much cash "comes over Hadrian's wall" to Scotland as she clashed with Ukip's Nigel Farage in the only full scale TV leaders debate of the general election campaign. The Ukip leader claimed tax payers in England were "cheesed off" with the amount of public money that goes north of the border. But a snap poll after the two hour long clash by YouGov declared Ms Sturgeon the winner of the debate, being rated the best of the leaders by 28% of the 1,117 adults polled. That put her ahead of Mr Farage, who was favoured by 20% when people were asked which of the seven leaders had performed best, while Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron and Labour's Ed Miliband were them first choice of 18% and 15% respectively. Meanwhile more than 1,200 people joined the SNP during the two hour long debate, the party said afterwards. Ms Sturgeon, the SNP leader and Scottish First Minister, had used the debate toshowcase SNP plans to increase public spending by a "modest" £180 billion across the UK over the course of the next parliament. She accused the Prime Minister and his Liberal Democrat deputy Nick Clegg of having been "hand in glove in imposing austerity" across the UK over the last five years, and also argued ending austerity would be the the "best thing" for the NHS. Ms Sturgeon began by stating the SNP - which appears to be on course to return a record number of MPs to Westminster - would always "stand up for Scotland", but wanted to offer "friendship" to the peoples of England, Wales and Northern Ireland and would "help to bring about change for you too". Mr Farage, however, claimed "canny Scots" had negotiated a better deal than other parts of the UK when the Barnett formula - which determines how public money is distributes - was created. "This all has to be rebalanced because frankly English taxpayers are a bit cheesed off with so much of their money going over Hadrian's wall, giving people no prescription charges and no university tuition. "There needs to be a rebalancing, and in the future Scotland should receive less money per capita than it currently does." Ms Sturgeon told him Scots had "paid more tax per head of population in every single year for the last 34 years". She argued the Government could not cut its way out of a deficit, as she hit out at the Prime Minister. "David Cameron has proved that," she said. There was applause from the audience when she made clear her commitment to free university education. Ms Sturgeon said: "I grew up in a working class family, I wouldn't be standing here as First Minister of Scotland without the free education I had access to. "As a politician now I have no right to take that same entitlement away from the next generation of young people, so I will always fight, work, vote, do whatever it takes to keep access to university free. "I think it is shameful for any politician who has benefited from that free education to take it away from others." Afterwards Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy said the debate had "made crystal clear the choice facing Scots at the general election". He said: "In the debate there were seven passionate speakers but only two potential prime ministers. "There are lots of ways to protest against David Cameron but only one way to replace him. "We can either have a prime minister in Ed Miliband who will make life fairer for working class Scots and bring an end to failed Tory austerity. "Or we can have David Cameron's unfair cuts that have done so much damage to families in Scotland." Mr Murphy continued: "Ed Miliband was the only one standing on the platform tonight with a real plan about how to get the economy working for working class people again. "The commentators will analyse the debate, but people in Scotland will deliver their verdict on May 7. It's on that day that Scots can kick out this unfair Tory Government once and for all. "The way to get a Labour Government that will invest in our NHS and support young people back into work is to vote for Labour." "What tonight also confirmed is that there is no place for the vile, divisive politics of Nigel Farage and Ukip. No matter which party we support, that's something we can all agree on."

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