UK set for a hung Parliament
British PM Gordon Brown talks to supporters at a pub in Kilburn, London, on Sunday. PHOTO: AP
May 3: Britain on bank holiday on Monday seems to be heading for a hung Parliament with just three days left for voting.
The latest opinion polls on Monday have revealed that the election race is very close as the Conservative Party’s lead over the weekend slipped slightly. Two new polls suggested that there will be no clear winner in the general election, although both have made the Tories the largest party. YouGov survey for the Sun has puts the Conservatives on 34 per cent, the Liberal Democrats on 29 per cent and Labour on 28 per cent. The ICM poll for the Guardian has the Conservatives on 33 per cent, the LibDems and Labour both on 28 per cent.
An average of these polls, according to Prof. Leighton Vaughan Williams of Nottingham Business School, gives the Tories 34 per cent, the LibDems 29 per cent and Labour 28 per cent. London School of Economics also has the Tories on 34 per cent, Labour on 28 per cent and LibDems on 27 per cent.
The polls on Monday are showing a slight decrease in the support of LibDems after the highs of last week.
With predictions of no party being close to winning an overall majority of seats in the House of Commons, the three party leaders on Monday were campaigning in marginal seats, which would effectively decide the fate of the elections.
Bookmaker William Hill is now taking serious bets only for a Hung Parliament or Tory outright victory. “The debates made it a four-horse race, but since ‘bigot-gate,’ support for Labour has dried up, and the Lib Dem surge has now slowed to a trickle,” Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe said. “It is now a two-horse race headed for a photo finish.” It is offering 5/6 odds on hung Parliament and also on Tories getting an overall majority. Ladbrokes is offering 10/11 odds on hung parliament and also on Tories getting an overall majority. Rattled by the slide in his popularity after his television faux pas, Mr Brown said in Ipswich on Monday: “I’m fighting for my life because I’m fighting for the future of this country,” stressing that the British economy would be safe in his hands.
Mr Cameron said on Monday that he will campaign through the night on Tuesday to attract undecided voters and claimed that he had “momentum” behind him.
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