The journalists’ verdicts and how they ranked the leaders

DANIEL SANDERSON SCOTTISH POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT 1. David Cameron 2. Ed Miliband 3. Nicola Sturgeon

DAVID Cameron endured relentlessly tough questioning from the audience, but came out fighting. A lack of passion? Not last night.

Ed Miliband fought his corner well when needed, on zero hours contracts and Europe, but has he given up on Scotland in a bid to silence Tory attacks over SNP deals?

We didn’t learn anything new from the First Minister, who recited well-rehearsed lines in the face of softer questioning.

This was not a disaster for Nick Clegg, but claiming to be proud of the coalition at the same time as distancing himself from the Tories is a tough sell.

KATE DEVLIN UK POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT 1. Ed Miliband/

Nicola Sturgeon 3. David Cameron

ON opposite sides of a polarising debate Ed Miliband and Nicola Sturgeon both know they did much better than David Cameron, who almost immediately walked into a wall of hostility from the studio audience. Questions about his planned £12 billion welfare cuts included accusations that he was “deceiving” voters about where they would come from. The prime minister also faced tough challenges over the hated bedroom tax. The Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg also had probably his worst performance of all the televised leaders’ debates of this campaign.

MAGNUS GARDHAM POLITICAL EDITOR 1. Nicola Sturgeon 2. Ed Miliband 3. David Cameron

NO-ONE shone particularly brightly in the final UK-wide election show. The format, which saw them take questions separately, could have been sterile and dull but tough audiences in Glasgow and Leeds put them all under pressure.

Ed Miliband had most to gain and again performed well. He’ll hope his uncompromising comments about the SNP will go down well in England.

Ms Sturgeon will be the happiest, however. She knows Mr Miliband’s words are likely to boost support for the SNP.

TOM GORDON SUNDAY HERALD SCOTTISH POLITICAL EDITOR 1. Ed Miliband 2. David Cameron 3. Nick Clegg

ED MILIBAND got a rough ride for denying Labour overspent in power, but deserves top billing for the huge gamble act of ruling out any Labour government reliant on the SNP.

It could help in England and may convince Scots an SNP vote would let in the Tories, but the SNP will denounce him.

David Cameron was nervous and failed to rule out child benefit cuts, but improved greatly.

Nicola Sturgeon was solid but less assured than normal.

Still untrusted after tuition fees, Nick Clegg was an afterthought.

MICHAEL SETTLE UK POLITICAL EDITOR 1. Ed Miliband 2. David Cameron 3. Nicola Sturgeon

ED MILIBAND came across as relaxed and poised. He made a strong point about the key choice on May 7 being between a government for ordinary workers or for a rich elite. But his strongest moment came when he categorically ruled out a deal with the SNP. Later, Ms Sturgeon retorted that Scottish voters would never forgive Labour for preferring a Tory government to a deal with the SNP. David Cameron was combative but again failed to fill the hole in how the Tories will cut welfare, while Nick Clegg fared better on justifying the need for strong government with the Conservatives.