UK leaders in vote push as coalition talks loom
Print Edition
Britain’s political leaders yesterday began a final push for votes ahead of tomorrow’s knife-edge election, even as they prepared for the likelihood of protracted coalition talks once polls close.
Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron, whose party is running neck and neck with the opposition Labour party in opinion polls, kicked off a 36-hour tour of the country.
He urged people to give his party a clear mandate to govern or face years of “back-room deals” and “bribes” as Labour sought to form a government with the support of the smaller Scottish National Party.
But Cameron himself faces an uphill struggle to win enough seats in the House of Commons to govern alone and would most likely also need to turn to smaller parties to stay in power.
Both Cameron and Labour leader Ed Miliband — who is basing his final election push on a warning about funding for the state-run National Health Service — have insisted they are aiming for a house majority.
In reality, all sides are planning how they will seize the initiative on Friday morning after an uncertain result.
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg, whose centrist party has been the junior partner in Cameron’s Tory-led coalition for the past five years, is keeping his options open.
Launching a tour in Land’s End in southwest England that will end in John O’Groats in northern Scotland, Clegg said he would support the party with the “greatest mandate”.
“If the party with the greatest mandate from the British people, if they wanted to reach out to the Liberal Democrats, of course I would listen,” he said.
Clegg’s party could lose half of its 57 seats in the 650-seat House of Commons, however.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
