HARTLEPOOL LIBERAL DEMOCRATS CELEBRATE NICK CLEGG'S TRIUMPH

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 16th Apr 2010

Hartlepool Liberal Democrats were delighted by the striking success of party Leader Nick Clegg, who scored a 51% vote in the Sun YouGov instant reaction poll following the first televised leaders debate tonight, with David Cameron trailing on 29% and Gordon Brown a mere 19%.

In what could be a historic turning point in British politics, the leader of the Liberal Democrats seized the opportunity afforded by equal airtime with the two establishment parties to achieve a clear victory for himself and his party. Relaxed, but at the same time passionate, Clegg hammered home his central message that his party represented a credible alternative to Labour and the Tories.

Lib Dem candidate Reg Clark commented: 'This could well be the turning point for our party. We are tired of the old throw away line that the Liberal Democrats are a 'wasted vote' - on the contrary we are the only party who can defeat Labour in Hartlepool. I will be repeating with added confidence my call to the voters of the constituency not to stay at home if disillusioned, and not to waste their vote on the Tories, UKIP or Green parties if they wish to return a non Labour MP to a parliament in which it looks increasingly likely that we will be exercising real power and influence'.

Former Lib Dem Leader Paddy Ashdown immediately pointed out the contrast between the televised debate and the unfairness of the Westminster system whereby Nick Clegg is forced to perform his duties without a despatch box and under ritual and mindlessly abusive heckling from the Labour and Tory benches. Nick Clegg's passionate and non partisan performance tonight was the perfect riposte to that behaviour, and will hopefully usher in a much needed new kind of politics.