Election campaign 'wide open' says Brown

Labour and the Conservatives will start "lashing out" at the Liberal Democrats following their surge in the polls, Nick Clegg has said.

The Lib Dem leader said that there was now an "immense" opportunity to break with the "old politics" of the past.

A clutch of opinion polls has shown a sharp upswing in support for the Lib Dems - with one even putting them top - following Mr Clegg's success in the first televised leader's debate last week. Speaking to young people in Sutton, Surrey, he said that they now needed to capitalise on the opportunity that had opened up.

Conservative leader David Cameron has warned voters that anything but a "decisive" Tory victory on May 6 would leave Labour in charge as he sought to fight off the surge in public support for the Liberal Democrats.

Mr Cameron declined to follow Labour leader Gordon Brown in admitting he had "lost" to Nick Clegg in the presentation stakes during the first leaders' debate on TV.

Speaking to Andrew Marr on Sunday, Mr Brown said the first three-way debate had "thrown the campaign wide open".