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Brendan Hughes

BBC NI election debate: Rating the Stormont leaders' performances in battle for votes

Leaders from Stormont's five largest parties have clashed in the final TV debate of the Assembly election campaign.

The BBC election debate was the last big chance for the party leaders to make their pitch to voters.

Questions were asked by a live studio audience, adding some further pressure to proceedings compared to the the first TV debate on UTV on Sunday.

Read more: How the Stormont leaders' performed in the UTV election debate

All five party leaders wanted to impress the electorate, but their main task was to make it through the hour-long grilling without any major slip-ups.

With just days to go until the election, who performed best under the strain? And who floundered under the bright studio lights?

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson

The DUP leader had a tough 60 minutes, facing a barrage of questions and criticism from all sides over refusing to re-form an Executive due to Brexit's Northern Ireland Protocol.

At many points during the debate, it came across as if it was Sir Jeffrey versus everyone else - including the audience.

Under intense pressure the Lagan Valley MP robustly defended his position, but his responses drew exasperation from his opponents whose cutting quips won audience approval.

And Sir Jeffrey's attempt to provide statistics in support of claims that the Protocol is contributing to the cost-of-living crisis appeared to backfire when grilled on the granular detail. 5/10

Michelle O'Neill

With Sinn Féin riding high in successive opinion polls, the party's vice-president once again potentially had the most to lose from this hour-long debate.

Ms O'Neill could have opted to play things safe to avoid any mishaps, but she was instead more forthright in the debate, directly challenging the DUP leader on occasion.

She also made a point of saying she had not heard if unionist leaders would "accept the democratic outcome of the election" - a key Sinn Féin message during the campaign in its quest for the First Minister job.

An improvement compared to Sunday's TV debate. 7/10

Colum Eastwood

The SDLP leader must have been feeling confident after what many political commentators considered an assured performance during the UTV debate on Sunday.

Once again Mr Eastwood delivered a polished performance. He focused his message on the cost-of-living crisis and was the most eager to get stuck into the debate.

"The only person who is focused on a border poll in this election is Jeffrey Donaldson," he said as he dismissed the DUP raising unionist fears of an Irish unity referendum.

And he even managed to land criticism for backing Brexit on People Before Profit, a party which will be challenging the SDLP's bid for a third seat in Foyle. 8/10

Doug Beattie

The UUP leader left himself the most to do after a lacklustre performance in the first TV debate in which he too often sat on the sidelines.

He needed to get much more involved during round two to showcase how the Ulster Unionist Party differs from its rivals, particularly the DUP.

For the most part Mr Beattie upped his game, including challenging Sir Jeffrey Donaldson over the DUP's stance on the Protocol compared to his own party.

And viewers will have empathised with the UUP leader when he said his 18-month old grandson died on a waiting list, as he called for an end to "squabbling" over the issue of healthcare. 6/10

Naomi Long

The Alliance Party leader was again clear and straight-talking but appeared to take more of a back seat in the debate.

While Mrs Long challenged Sir Jeffrey Donaldson over walking out of the Executive, she did not land as many killer one-liners against her opponents as on previous occasions.

She repeated an effective line from the first debate, in which she warned that "people are seeing a notional health service rather than a national one".

And the Alliance leader did not skirt around the issue when she said she did not want the "embarrassment" of being paid her full salary as an MLA while the Assembly is not fully functioning. 6/10

Read more: How Stormont leaders fared in the UTV election debate

Read more: Rating the Stormont parties' Assembly election broadcasts

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