Nigel Farage, Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg and David Cameron line up for the great debate

NIGEL Farage will occupy the centre ground of British politics in ITV’s eagerly anticipated election debate.

Nigel Farage says he hasn't started preparing for Thursday's debatePA

Nigel Farage says he hasn't started preparing for Thursday's debate

The Ukip leader has been drawn between Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg in a drawing of lots to decide which party leader would stand where for Thursday’s showdown.

In an uncanny role reversal with Mr Farage, David Cameron will be to the far right of the seven podiums during the two-hour live debate, hosted by ITV News anchor Julie Etchingham.

Viewers will see Green Party leader Natalie Bennett on the far left of their screen, followed by Lib Dem leader Clegg, Mr Farage and Labour leader Miliband, with Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood and the Scottish National Party’s Nicola Sturgeon before Mr Cameron.

The politicians are also set to be asked their “ideal podium height” so they all appear roughly the same height. 

Each leader will be quizzed on four topics, with questions to be put by members of a studio audience.

The stakes are high

Nigel Farage, UKIP leader

It is expected that each of the leaders will make a brief opening address at the start of the programme and at the beginning of each subject for discussion, to include the economy, the NHS, immigration and the future of the UK.

Each segment of the debate is expected to last up to 18 minutes.

It will be the first time that all seven party leaders have been seen together in one line-up.

Some of the political parties were said to be keen to avoid standing directly next to Mr Farage, who is seen to have most to gain from the debate.

Bookmaker Paddy Power has Mr Farage as the 7/4 favourite to emerge as the “winner” of the debate - with the Tory and Labour leaders on 10/3, Ms Sturgeon 6/1, Mr Clegg 9/1 and the Green and Plaid leaders 16/1.

Mr Farage said yesterday (Mon) that he hasn’t started preparing for Thursday’s debate but confessed the “stakes are high”.

The encounter is likely to draw a large TV audience after ITV’s three-way debate in 2010, featuring Cameron, Clegg and Gordon Brown, was watched by more than 9 million viewers.

Last week’s election TV opener, in which Cameron and Miliband were grilled by Jeremy Paxman before taking questions from a studio audience, had a combined TV audience of more than 3 million viewers across Channel 4, Sky News and the BBC News channel, which also simulcast it.

Mr Cameron, Mr Miliband and Mr Clegg will also feature separately in a BBC Question Time special on April 30, just a week before the nation goes to the polls.

The only other true debate of the campaign will take place on ITV on April 16, and pit Mr Miliband against Nigel Farage, Natalie Bennett of the Green Party, Nicola Sturgeon of the SNP, and Leanne Wood from Plaid Cymru.

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