UK horse- trading looms if no clear winner tomorrow

Britain’s political leaders on Tuesday began a final push for votes ahead of this week’s knife- edge election, even as they prepared for the likelihood of protracted coalition talks once polls close.

Prime Minister David Cameron, whose Conservatives are neck and neck with the Opposition Labour party in the opinion polls, kicked off a 36- hour tour of the country that will see him campaign through the night.

He urged voters to give his party on Thursday a clear mandate to govern or risk years of “backroom deals” and “bribes” as Labour sought to form a government with the support of the smaller Scottish National Party ( SNP).

But Mr Cameron himself faces an uphill struggle to win a majority in the 650seat House of Commons and would most likely also need to turn to smaller parties to stay in power.

Both Mr Cameron and Labour leader Ed Miliband — who has put the state- run National Health Service ( NHS) at the centre of the last two days of campaigning — have insisted they are aiming for a parliamentary majority.

“Lots of people are undecided and it’s those that we need to convince in the closing hours,” the Prime Minister told supporters in Twickenham, southwest London. In Bedford in central England, Mr Miliband insisted he was still “fighting for every vote”. In reality, all sides are planning how they will seize the initiative on Friday morning after an uncertain result.