GORDON BROWN may not believe that politics and show business mix but he has roped in a number of stars to support the Labour cause in the last 36 hours before the United Kingdom goes to the polls.
Just yards away from Coronation Street'sRovers Return, on the grounds of Granada TV in Manchester, Mr Brown was supported by a host of TV stars, who featured in Labour's final broadcasts, including Prunella Scales, Jo Brand and Ross Kemp.
In an impassioned speech, Mr Brown, cheered on by 500 Labour supporters, said: “It’s simple: when we fight, when we never give up on the fight, when we fight and fight – we win.”
Comedian Eddie Izzard, in one of Labour’s final political broadcasts of the campaign, warned that Conservative leader David Cameron and shadow chancellor George Osborne were “Thatcher’s children” who would return the UK “back to the days of three million unemployed”.
Mr Brown has opposed the effort of some Labour ministers, including Ed Balls, Tessa Jowell and Peter Hain, to encourage tactical voting by Labour and Liberal Democrats voters on Thursday to keep Conservative candidates out.
Listing some of Labour’s achievements over 13 years in power, the prime minister pointedly said they had had to fight the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats to get legislation through.
“So if you want the guy whose hair is always perfect, whose ties are always straight, whose slogan is always snappy, you have a choice . . . the other two [David Cameron and Nick Clegg],” he said.
But, if “you want someone with judgment and the right values then I ask you to stick with me.
“If it is style before substance, they win, if it’s recovery over risk, we win,” he said.
Meanwhile, a ComRes poll highlighted the fact that all the major parties’ share of support remained unchanged – but almost four in 10 say they could change their minds before they go to the polls, which open at 7am tomorrow.
According to the poll, 71 per cent of people say they are certain to vote – which would be a dramatic improvement on the 2005 turnout figure.
The ComRes poll, along with other polls, showed that support for the Liberal Democrats had peaked, and was now declining.
The ComRes poll gave the Conservatives 37 per cent of support; Labour 29 per cent, and the Liberals 24 per cent.
The result, if repeated on polling day, would give the Conservatives 294 seats – 32 short of a majority, with Labour on 251 and the Liberal Democrats on 74.
Most importantly, it would put Labour in a position to negotiate a coalition with the Liberals.
Throughout last night’s event Mr Brown chose a steady theme: change for change’s sake is too much of a risk in the UK, while he listed Labour’s legislative successes since 1997. Turning to those still undecided, he said: “You are right to reflect. Our challenge is not to take you for granted. We have a plan for the future and we will implement it.”