THE parents of Madeleine McCann, actor Hugh Grant and Harry Potter creator JK Rowling were named yesterday as core participants in the first stage of the inquiry into the British phone-hacking scandal.

BRITAIN’S coalition government descended into a war of words over immigration policy yesterday, with the junior Liberal Democrats attacking Tory Prime Minister David Cameron’s hardline rhetoric.

The uncomfortable alliance of Cameron and Clegg could end in a nightmare and even lead to the break up of the United Kingdom, writes Political Correspondent Shaun Connolly

GORDON Brown last night announced he will resign as Labour leader – but offered to stay on as Prime Minister in a potential power-sharing government with the Liberal Democrats until his party has chosen a successor.

Gordon Brown tonight announced he will resign as Labour leader – but offered to stay on as British Prime Minister in a potential power-sharing government with the Liberal Democrats until his party has chosen a successor.

Tory leader David Cameron and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg held face-to-face talks tonight as they continued their attempts to thrash out a power-sharing deal.

Liberal Democrat MPs today endorsed leader Nick Clegg’s decision to enter talks with the Conservatives over possible co-operation in forming a new government.

Throughout the general election campaign, Nick Clegg insisted he would not be the kingmaker – the voters would. Well, the voters have passed the buck back to him.

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg today effectively opened the door of No 10 to David Cameron by saying the Conservative Party had the “first right” to attempt to form a government in the UK.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was fighting to keep Labour in power today by tempting the Liberal Democrats into a coalition government as Britain seemed set for a hung parliament.

NICK CLEGG wants Britain to put aside its traditional euroscepticism and work with its continental partners to confront the challenges of a globalised world.

THE general election outcome may still not be clear as dawn breaks over Britain on Friday.

Britain is facing public spending cuts on a scale unseen for a generation whoever wins the general election, an influential think-tank warned today as it accused the main parties of failing to come clean with voters.

Electoral reform was today shaping up as the key issue in determining what sort of government would emerge if the May 6 UK general election results in a hung parliament.

Liberal Democrats are now the only party offering “real change” in the UK general election, the party’s leader Nick Clegg claimed today.

NICK Clegg’s widely praised performance in the leaders’ TV debate has catapulted the Liberal Democrats ahead of Labour in the race for the General Election, according to a poll.

LIBERAL Democrat leader Nick Clegg last night said he would offer a “manifesto you can trust” as he dismissed David Cameron’s plans for government.

Sir Menzies Campbell said today he felt “irritated and frustrated” after quitting as Liberal Democrat leader.

Millions of voters go to the polls today in the government’s biggest electoral test since Labour won its third term in power in 2005.

Mark Oaten today threw his hat into the ring for the fight for the UK's Liberal Democrat leadership as he declared he would modernise the party and lead it to power.