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Summary
Britain's election race tightened after the second party leaders' TV debate failed to produce a runaway winner, increasing the chances of a hung parliament.Prime Minister Gordon Brown clashed Thursday with Conservative leader David Cameron and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg on issues ranging from Britain's nuclear deterrent to its role in Europe. All eyes were on Clegg to see if he could outshine his opponents as he did in the first debate last week, which propelled his party from its traditional third position in polls into second, and sometimes even first, place. Instant polls taken after the clash gave the Lib Dem leader a slim margin of victory over Cameron. But the parties were close and the result suggested Britain was headed for a tight three-way race in the May 6 general election. The results appeared to increase the likelihood that the vote would produce Britain's first hung parliament, where no party has an overall majority, since 1974. The leaders appeared more at ease than in the first US-style televised debate last week, and were quick to begin trading blows. Brown, of the ruling Labour Party, accused his opponents of leaving Britain poorly defended against nuclear attack and at risk of isolation in Europe. Clegg criticised both the government's and the main opposition's plans to spend money on replacing a Cold War nuclear missile system. Clegg, who could hold the balance of power if no one party has an overall majority, spoke positively of such an outcome. Clegg dismissed as rubbish accusations of wrongdoing after a story in the Daily Telegraph paper revealed that three businessmen paid up to 250 pounds a month into his bank account in 2006, a year before he became party leader. A series of instant polls taken after the clash indicated the poll battle would be tight. An average of five surveys gave Clegg a slight lead on 33.8 percent, but only slightly ahead of Cameron, who was on 32.8 percent. Brown meanwhile scored 27.6 percent. Meanwhile, a crowd of some 150 protesters gathered outside the debate venue in Bristol, southwest England, and police made six arrests for public order offences.
