Debate 'lost' on style and presentation

The Prime Minister said the first three-way debate last Thursday had "thrown the campaign wide open".

But he also insisted it wasn't an "X-Factor talent show" and the debate had not yet moved onto issues of substance such as the economy.

Mr Brown said of the first debate: "I think it's energised the campaign. It's thrown the campaign wide, wide open.

"People thought it was a closed book to start with. I lost on presentation. I lost on style. Maybe I lost on smiling...

"Some may think I'm a sort of a tough headteacher, I don't know.

"But I've learned at the end of the debate, substance will come through. This isn't a sprint. It's a long campaign. We haven't debated the economy yet in any substantial way."

Earlier Mr Brown rejected Tory plans for a cap on immigration, insisting the "tough" points-based system for admitting skilled migrants was a better way of controlling the numbers and was working.

Asked if 160,000 immigrants each year was acceptable, he said: "It's going to be lower. It's already lower this year. It's going to be a lot lower because the number of students coming in is going to be reduced in the coming year and the points system is starting to have a big effect."