EXCLUSIVE: Kay Burley On Why The Leaders’ Debate Wasn’t Biased & Who Came Off Better

All eyes were on Sky News presenter Kay Burley during the first leaders debate between David Cameron and Ed Miliband. Kay hosted the Q+A debate which saw her pressing Ed about his relationship with his brother. The morning after, Grazia Daily grabbed a chat with the lady herself to discuss the event, why women should vote and the Twitter trolls that have been accusing her of being biased...

**Grazia Daily: How are you feeling after last night? **

Kay Burley: I thought it went really well. It has been quite a stressful few days, as you can imagine, we managed to put that show together, a great polished show in just 2 days.

Grazia Daily: Who do you think came off better?

Kay Burley: I thought Ed did better in the town hall debate and I think David did better with Paxman. It was too close to call.

**Grazia Daily: Would it have been better if they went head to head? **

Kay Burley: Of course, absolutely it would. They wouldn’t, or rather the PM wouldn’t and as a result we came up with next best thing. I think it was a compromise, I don’t think anybody was totally happy with what the final programme looked like before we took part in it.

**Grazia Daily: Do you think the party leaders will go head to head in 2020? **

Kay Burley: I do think it has now set a precedent. We had the debates in 2010 and now in 2015, I don’t think there will be all this argy bargy in 2020 and there will be a debate.

**Grazia Daily: How do you feel about the accusations on Twitter that you were biased? **

Kay Burley: Well, everyone is entitled to their opinion and that’s what Twitter offers people. I really don’t mind if they want to vent their views. It’s just keyboard warriors without manners I found a little bit irritating.

**Grazia Daily: Do you think you were biased? **

Kay Burley: I don’t know how I came across. I’m not bias. I am bound by the Communications Act, which means that I can’t have party political bias. I bet you 99.9% of people don’t know which way I vote.

**Grazia Daily: You asked a lot of supplementary questions to Ed and not to David, why was that? **

Kay Burley: I didn’t particularly think I was doing that at the time. I certainly think that the PM talked much more to his audience - I think we only got through 5 or 6 questions. I chatted to Ed during the break and we wanted to get through more questions and more topics and give more opportunity for people to speak to him. So I had to interject a bit more and on occasions I don’t think that he answered the question, so they were supplementary and all of the questions that I asked were about what had already been posed.

Grazia Daily: You pressed Ed about his brother, why?

Kay Burley: When it came to his brother, someone had already asked about him so I obviously took it further because I’m sure people at home would think my job is to ask the questions that they want the answers to.

**Grazia Daily: Do you think you got something new about that relationship last night? **

Kay Burley: I think that, as a mother, when he was saying what he was saying I thought ‘his poor mum’. I thought goodness, how would I have felt if my two sons had such a bruising day at work, as it were. I think that the fact he said that it was healing was quite telling that they are still are not on the best of terms.

**Grazia Daily: Do you think the format worked? **

Kay Burley: I do. I think probably looking back on it, one of the challenges for us was that it felt like we didn’t have long enough. The interviews with Paxo and then the town hall debates could all have run on for longer quite easily.

**Grazia Daily: Do you think it was democratic? **

Kay Burley: As far as we were concerned, how more democratic could it be? The Prime Minister and the leader of the second biggest party were facing questions from a studio audience who have been chosen by survey to be completely unbiased in their views.

** Grazia Daily: 9 million women didn’t vote in 2010, do you think last night will have turned more women voters on? **

Kay Burley: I think the whole process, not just our programme but the other 3 as well that are coming up will. I think anything that makes people think about politics, and the way they would side, even if it is personality politics, makes you vote. You know, women threw themselves under a horse so that we could vote, so the least you can do is vote.

**Grazia Daily: How did you decide what to wear? **

Kay Burley: I couldn’t wear red or blue and I didn’t want to wear purple or indeed any of the other colours that are represented. It was much easier when it was just two main parties, they all cover the whole spectrum when it comes to colours so I went for that coral dress, or whatever colour people are calling it today.

**Grazia Daily: What happened afterwards? **

Kay Burley: So Mr Cameron had already left. When it was finished I went over to the newsroom and did a bit of a turn there and then I went to the bar. I am planning on drowning in wine for most of the weekend!