British leaders in final push for votes

Britain’s political leaders planned to campaign through the night tonight in a final push for votes ahead of an election that…

Britain’s political leaders planned to campaign through the night tonight in a final push for votes ahead of an election that opinion polls suggest will be the closest in decades.

The Labour Party trails the Conservatives by up to eight points before the May 6th vote, according to the latest polls. The Liberal Democrats trail in third place.

The lead could give the Tories a slim majority in parliament or leave them just short of taking overall control, depending on how the votes are spread across Britain's 650 electoral districts.

Conservative leader David Cameron, keen to end his party's 13 years in opposition and secure a solid majority, will campaign overnight tonight, seeking support from the third of voters said to still be undecided.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who is expected to match Mr Cameron's unprecedented campaign marathon, said this morning he would "take full responsibility" if Labour loses on Thursday, but stressed his party was still in the race.

"I still think there are thousands of people who have still to make up their minds," Mr Brown said in an interview with GMTV.

His attempt to win a fourth consecutive election for Labour was undermined by one of his candidates who described him in a local newspaper interview as "the worst prime minister ever," in part due to his crime and immigration policies.

Manish Sood, standing for election in Norfolk, told Sky News he stood by his comments: "All the policies he is bringing in are a total disaster."

Two of Mr Brown's senior ministers appeared to appeal to Labour supporters in some close-fought electoral districts to consider voting for the Liberal Democrats to undermine the Conservatives.

Welsh Secretary of State Peter Hain said Labour voters in marginal seats where either the Lib Dems and the Conservatives were likely to win, should "vote with their heads not their hearts." Schools Secretary Ed Balls said he wanted to "keep the Tories out" in very close districts.

Mr Brown today said he disagreed with tactical voting. “I want people to vote Labour and I want a majority Labour government,” he told GMTV. “And now it comes down to the central issue - who’s going to be best for jobs, who’s going to be best for the economy, who’s going to be best for the health service?

“Conservatives are too big a risk. Liberals, well they can’t explain what they’re doing, they don’t add up.”

The final Reuters/Ipsos MORI marginals poll, which surveys voters living in the kind of constituencies held by Labour that the Conservatives need to win for a majority, shows support for the parties in these seats was neck-and-neck.

That represents a 7 per cent switch in support to the Conservatives from Labour compared to the 2005 election and could be just enough to put them into power.

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