Tomorrow's general election marks "a real and defining turning-point" for Britain, Mr Tony Blair declared last night, as he appealed to voters to leave behind the Thatcher era.
"This election really matters," he insisted, "because it can, if people decide, mark a real and historic turning point, a clean break with the politics of the 1980s, which left so many of our people behind."
Mr Blair was making his last keynote speech of the election as all the parties prepared for a frantic final day of campaigning in an attempt to galvanise their core vote and defeat predictions of a historically low poll.
As Conservative activists began a last concerted effort in the 180 "battleground" seats they believe can turn the election, Mr William Hague described the Labour government as the sleaziest the country had ever seen.
Addressing a noisy crowd of 500 in Shrewsbury, the Tory leader declared: "Never have the people of this country been given more phoney promises which have not been delivered on. Never have we had a sleazier administration in the history of this country. Never before have we had a government dedicated to giving up the right to govern by giving up the rights of the people of Britain."
On the day the London Times endorsed Labour for the first time in its history, Mr Hague said voters should not allow newspapers to sway their vote, vowing: "The Labour Party pretend they know they have won. We know we can beat them."
But Mr Blair maintained that no one wanted to awake on Friday morning to a Conservative administration.
In a direct appeal to the apathetic and those still undecided, Mr Blair said: "It is not a game. On Thursday, if people don't come out and help and support us and put their cross on the ballot paper, then on June 8th people will wake up to Mr Hague and the Conservatives back, and no one in this country, if they think about it, wants that."
As the Liberal Democrats leader, Mr Charles Kennedy, attacked both the Labour and Conservative records on the National Health Service, Mr Blair rehearsed his familiar campaign theme on the need for a strong economy to provide better schools and hospitals.
And the Prime Minister showed himself irritated by fresh questioning about the affairs of the Europe Minister, Mr Keith Vaz. BBC's Radio's Today programme claimed it had evidence that Mr Vaz had not disclosed the full extent of his property interests to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Ms Elizabeth Filkin.
Mr Blair said he found it "extraordinary" that he be asked to comment on "a load of rehashed allegations" about Mr Vaz when people wanted to hear about the issues.