#Asktheleaders: Nick Clegg under scrutiny

We’ve the first of three films looking at the main party leaders: a look at Nick Clegg.

More blessings have been laid at his feet than for many a Liberal leader. But has he exploited them all?

Party critics in the profile feel he hasn’t made the capital he might’ve done out of the expenses saga. The party has landed itself an identikit clean-cut establishment leader just as the voters are in revolt against the political elites.

Lord Ashdown rubbishes that idea saying that the party has to look credible and can’t go around playing Citizen Smith. It’s not clear to some that he’s exploited the gift of an unpopular Labour prime minister facing a Conservative party the voters haven’t completely forgiven.

But Nick Clegg has another blessing still in hand, the debates. And he’d better not blow that.

He’s rehearsing early and often for those, with Chris Huhne playing Gordon Brown and David Laws playing David Cameron.

He will hope to pull off Vince Cable’s trick in the Ask the Chancellors debate, playing the commentator and asserting authority with the other leaders. Whether he has enough authority, enough bite to achieve that is not clear.

Privately, you hear, Nick Clegg doesn’t expect to be in a hung parliament – he thinks the Tories will get some sort of majority.

But the polls suggest otherwise right now and that puts him under more scrutiny than many predecessors.

I haven’t found anyone saying he’s anything other than likeable, pleasant company, self-deprecating. But is that enough?

#Asktheleaders: Channel 4 News will be liveblogging key election events throughout the campaign including the live leaders debates with Nick Clegg, Gordon Brown and David Cameron.  You can follow at http://www.channel.com/news. On twitter follow @c4election and you can comment if you include the hashtag #Asktheleaders.