With two weeks left the go, the UK electoral hopefuls spread out across the country, desperate to budge poll ratings that show the two main parties deadlocked, in a race that may still not deliver either the Labour or Conservative party as a clear winner on May 7.
Pollwatch
YouGov has Labour one point ahead at 34%, with the Conservatives at 33%. In Scotland, the Scottish National Party is well ahead in most areas.
Location, Location, Location
The party leaders along with their teams and spouses have spread out across the nation, with David Cameron heading to Cornwall (where he often holidays):
Cameron, unlike his opponents, has to continue working as prime minister. He travelled to Brussels on Thursday for a meeting of EU leaders on the migrant crisis that saw hundreds die in the Mediterranean. Ed Miliband went to Manchester while his wife Justine roved Wales, as did deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, leader of the Liberal Democrats. Meanwhile UKIP leader Nigel Farage, some said, began to fade away.
Some areas remain hotly contested “swing seats”—like Bristol West, which has a Lib Dem incumbent but strong challenges from both the Green Party and Labour. In seats, a big swing looks more certain. The Scottish National Party could win as many as 40 of Scotland’s 59 seats (paywall) in this election, according to some polls. It currently holds only six.
This polling infographic The Guardian gives the latest state of play.
Boris Watch
The London Mayor allowed himself to be drawn out on his ambitions to one day lead the country. He could conceive of himself as Conservative leader “in the dim, distant future,” he told Sky:
https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/590878197081772032
Oh, UKIP
A UKIP candidate asked this question in a local debate.
Prompting this minor kerfuffle.
Milifandom
One of the strangest twists of the campaign has been the emergence of Milifandom: a group of teenagers becoming fascinated by Labour leader Ed Miliband.
The objectification of Miliband has migrated from Twitter into the newspapers, with numerous collections of photoshopped images, like this one:
The PM seems to have his own fanbase. All of which has prompted this question:
And finally…
The Conservative Party printed some unfinished literature, encouraging constituents in East Ham, London, to vote for the well-known politician “Name Surname.”
And the Daily Mirror offered a tour through some of the country’s weirdest polling stations, including a boxing gym, a launderette, and two living rooms.