The leaders of Britain 's seven main political parties went head-to-head in an unprecedented TV debate on Thursday as the nation prepares for this year 's general election . Nobody is expected to win a majority when votes are cast on May 7 in what is being touted as the closest and most unpredictable race since the 1970s . Prime Minister David Cameron , of the Conservatives , narrowly topped the polls assessing who 'won ' the two-hour clash against six other parties in an unusual format for Britain . Crucially , 33 per cent of the 7.4 million viewers hailed Cameron as 'the most impressive ' on the subject of the economy , which lies at the heart of each party 's campaign . But pollsters refuse to predict whether it will be Cameron or the Labour Party 's Ed Miliband who takes the top job in an inevitable coalition after votes are cast . Scroll down for video . The build-up : Prime Minister David Cameron went head-to-head with six other party leaders in a TV debate on Thursday night in an unusual format for Britain . It comes six weeks ahead of the general election on May 7 . Neck-and-neck : Cameron was hailed as statesmanlike in the debate as he tries to edge out Miliband ( right ) Nicola Sturgeon , of the pro-independence Scottish National Party ( SNP ) , was widely touted as one of the victors in the debate , which also featured the environment-focused Green Party , led by Natalie Bennett , and Wales ' Plaid Cymru , led by Leanne Wood . Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg , leader of the Liberal Democrats , and Nigel Farage of the UK Independence Party completed the line-up . Analysts remarked that none of the leaders managed to deliver a 'killer line ' that would set them apart from the other participants . 'There was clearly no knock-out blow , ' said Peter Kellner of pollster YouGov . Jonny Tudor , 17 , who asked one of the questions on the night , said afterwards : 'Some performed well in answer to certain questions , other performed well on different subjects , but there was no definitive winner . ' A rare moment of drama came when a female audience member briefly interrupted Cameron to complain about the number of homeless people sleeping in the streets . Too close to call ? Pollsters refuse to predict whether it will be the Labour Party 's Ed Miliband ( left ) or David Cameron ( right ) in the top job after votes are cast . But polls named Cameron as last night 's debate 'winner ' Range : Nicola Sturgeon , leader of the pro-independence Scottish National Party , was touted as one of the victors . Analysts remarked that none of the seven leaders delivered a 'killer line ' to stand out from the rest . Rare moment of drama : A woman stood up during the debate to heckle Cameron about homelessness . But in a result that will calm Conservative nerves , a Comres/ITV poll showed 40 per cent of voters asked afterwards judged Cameron was the most capable of leading Britain , compared to 28 per cent who named Miliband . The event was the first and only full TV debate of a campaign that has yet to stir voters , many of whom say they feel jaded despite a rising economy . It is the only time Cameron and Miliband will go head-to-head on issues of policy before votes are cast . In one of Cameron 's more animated moments in an otherwise reserved performance , he pointed to his rivals , one-by-one , and said : 'What I 'm hearing is more debt and more taxes , more debt and more taxes , a lot more debt and more taxes , some more debt and more taxes , and definitely more debt and more taxes . ' Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg was forced to reference mistakes he made in the last five years in coalition . Hot topics : Immigration divided leaders , as the UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage ( pictured ) insisted Britain will have to leave the European Union in order to have control over the nation 's borders .
Prime Minister David Cameron faced six other party leaders . None of the leaders are expected to land a majority in the May 7 election . No leader delivered 'killer line ' but he was 'most impressive ' on economy . Pollsters touting this election as closest since 1970s , inevitable coalition .