The second round of the UK’s first ever prime ministerial TV debates was hosted by Sky News last night and as predicted, all parties came out fighting following last week’s surprising poll results.  Although the three leaders were much less nervous, the heat was certainly turned up in the Bristol studio and once again it made for must-see TV.  So who upped their game and who remained lame, the Core verdict is in…

In first place: David Cameron.

Came out fighting and was intent on putting Clegg under pressure in an effort to knock him off his pedestal.  A step up from last week, David was clear about the details of his policies and engaged better with the audience  sowed the seed of being a leader in waiting with the mantra ‘If I was your Prime Minister…’

In second place: Nick Clegg.

Maintained a solid performance.  Nick is an impressive and clear communicator but closer inspection of the Lib Dem manifesto did lead to some jibes from his counterparts.   Cameron in particular pulled Clegg up on his immigration policy claiming – “It sounds like they are going to put border controls along the M5!”

Bringing up the rear: Gordon Brown.

Ranked third in our poll although there was very little between the three candidates.  Brown appeared more passionate than last week although took his eye off engaging with the audience and perhaps focussed too heavily on attacking his rivals.  Similar to Cameron, Brown was also intent on putting Clegg under pressure and utilised his incumbent position to showcase his experience and ability to steer the country through difficult times.

Next Week – Round Three

With two debates down, next week’ s final instalment here in Birmingham will be key to establishing the favourites in the election battle, particularly for the many floating voters that will ultimately decide its outcome.  Here’s hoping the BBC repeats Sky’s tactic of showcasing the host city as well as the candidates when the world’s media descends on Birmingham.

Our verdict will be here next week.