LABOUR renewed its challenge to David Cameron to face Ed Miliband in a head-to-head TV debate yesterday after a grilling from Jeremy Paxman left people none the wiser.

Polls following the Sky/Channel 4 broadcast put the Prime Minister in the lead by the tiniest of margins, with one YouGov poll for the Times putting Mr Cameron ahead by just 51 per cent to 49 per cent.

Mr Cameron repeatedly floundered when his government’s record was put under the spotlight. Former Newsnight host Mr Paxman asked the PM “could you live on a zero-hours contract?” after telling him there were 700,000 people in Britain working zero hours.

Mr Cameron was also put on the spot over foodbanks and forced to defend his relationships with sacked TV host Jeremy Clarkson and former HSBC boss Lord Green after Paxman asked him: “What do you have in common with all these rich people?”But Mr Miliband was roundly mocked for his overzealous response to questions, at one point declaring: “Am I tough enough? Hell, yes, I’m tough enough.”

Responding to the debates yesterday, Labour campaign chief Douglas Alexander said: “What we saw last night wasn’t a debate. They were on the same stage, in front of the same audience, in the same building, but alas David Cameron wasn’t willing to debate head-to-head with the alternative prime minister.

“Even at this late hour, with just six weeks to go, I challenge David Cameron again today — if you are half as confident as you pretend to be about your record in government, about your leadership, then let’s put you in front of the British public next to the alternative prime minister for a job interview.”

by Our News Desk