THE surge in support for the Liberal Democrats following last week's TV debate was confirmed by a further poll on the eve of the second televised showdown.

The Ipsos Mori survey for the Evening Standard showed Nick Clegg's party level-pegging with the Conservatives on 32%, with Labour trailing on 28%.

But the poll suggested that support for Lib Dems is soft, with only 44% of those backing the party saying that they will definitely vote for them, against 56% who could switch.

By comparison, 49% of Labour supporters say they have decided they will vote for the party while 50% may change their minds.

The Tory vote is most robust, with 58% saying they have made their mind up and 40% that they could eventually back another party.

Today's Ipsos Mori poll shows the Lib Dems up 11 points compared to a similar survey last month, at the expense of Tories (down three) and Labour (down two).

If repeated in the General Election on an even swing across the country, the figures would produce a hung Parliament, in which Labour would have the most MPs despite having received fewer votes than the other two parties.

According to the BBC election seat calculator, Labour would have around 271 MPs, against 234 Conservatives and 116 Liberal Democrats.

:: Ipsos Mori interviewed 1,253 adults nationwide between April 18 and 20.