Labour faces second term - or major upset

Polling in the British General Election got underway today with voters set to deliver Labour an historic second term - or one of the biggest political upsets of modern times.

The final opinion polls of the campaign pointed to another big majority for Tony Blair, comparable to his landslide victory of 1997.

Gallup in the Daily Telegraph put Labour on 47%, 17 points ahead of the Tories, on 30%, with the Liberal Democrats on 18%.

Mori for The Times presented a similar picture giving Labour, on 45%, a 15-point advantage over the Conservatives, on 30%, and the Liberal Democrats, on 18%.

But throughout the campaign the Tories have insisted that their support on the ground is stronger than the polls would suggest.

With the polls also pointing to a low turn-out, there is some nervousness among Labour strategists that they might have difficulty getting their vote out.

Officials at the party’s Millbank headquarters have long been concerned that Labour supporters will not bother voting if they believe that the result is a foregone conclusion.

In the final days of the campaign, the Conservatives sought to capitalise on such concerns, warning of the dangers of a second Labour landslide, which would give Blair power to roughshod over Parliament.

The election result could determine whether William Hague remains at the helm of the Tory Party, or faces a challenge to his leadership which could plunge it into a renewed bout of bloody in-fighting.

There has been much speculation - but few firm indications - about whether Mr Hague will quit if the Tories suffer another heavy defeat or fight to hang onto the leadership.

The Tory left - which has been unhappy at the campaign’s emphasis on Europe and on keeping the pound - is reported to be ready to launch an early onslaught once polling is over.

Meanwhile Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy, whose profile has risen sharply during the campaign, will probably be satisfied if he can hold on to his party’s 47 seats.

All three leaders spent last night in their constituencies after a final exhausting day of campaigning.

Mr Blair was casting his vote at Trimdon Colliery in Sedgefield, County Durham, Mr Hague was voting at the Booth Memorial Hall in Catterick Village in his constituency of Richmond, North Yorks, and Mr Kennedy was voting in Fort Augustus in his Ross, Skye and Inverness West constituency.