Party leaders toured the country as they ramped up their campaigns ahead of Thursday’s vote, raising cheers and confronting hecklers at venues including a doctor’s surgery, a glass factory and a supermarket.“Energy, energy, energy, I’m going to be getting right round the country, the whole way round the United Kingdom, making clear the choice of the election,” Conservative leader David Cameron told Sky News about his party’s campaign strategy. Most opinion polls have shown Britain on course for its first parliament with no overall majority since 1974, and four new polls appearing in Sunday newspapers put the Conservatives ahead, with one showing the party just short of a majority.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he paid a heavy price for calling a supporter of his Labour Party “bigoted” on Wednesday when he forgot he was wearing a microphone, and on Saturday two key UK newspapers withdrew support for his party. In an interview in Sunday’s Observer newspaper, Brown describes Labour as the “underdog.”
By contrast, Cameron has gained momentum since his performance in a televised leaders’ debate on Thursday, but that may not be enough to ensure his party wins an outright majority.
Opinion polls have long put the Conservatives in the lead, but not by enough to avoid an inconclusive outcome, or so-called hung parliament. Support for the Liberal Democrats surged after leader Nick Clegg gave polished performances in three US style televised debates.
