02/11/2009

Hung Parliament 'Very Likely': Heseltine

A hung parliament at the next general election is "very likely", a senior Tory has said.

Lord Heseltine, a former deputy prime minister, said David Cameron's Conservatives would need the largest electoral swing, "with two exceptions, since the war" to gain a majority in the Commons.

The peer said he would not be joining a future Tory cabinet, insisting Mr Cameron "does not need 77-year-olds in his government".

"Any advice we can give is free and available and welcome... but you mustn't think in terms of recruiting people like me," he said.

Lord Heseltine lauded Mr Cameron's work as leader, suggesting the odds on him becoming the next prime minister are "significant".

"But the overall majority is a mountain to climb and I think he's been absolutely right in making this point clear."

He said it is his belief Labour will not have the strength to form another government.

"Then you come to another problem - there are not many parties... that will form any sort of relationship with the Conservatives, so the Conservatives have got to win outright or be sufficiently the largest party that there isn't a coalition against them and they face the House of Commons, which of course will mean a relatively short parliament," Lord Heseltine told the BBC.

A hung parliament is one in which no one political party has an outright majority.

In the 1974 General Election, incumbent Prime Minister Edward Heath initially refused to resign, and instead worked to build a coalition government.

His party won fewer seats than the then opposition Labour Party, despite gaining more votes.

It is likely the Lib Dems would hold the swing of power in any future hung parliament.

Constitutionally, the Queen can redissolve parliament in this situation and call another general election.

(PR/KMcA)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

05 May 2010
UK Election On Home Straight
The final day of the UK General election is nearly upon us with the three main parties battling for votes. With polls still indicating that Britain is on course for a hung parliament, David Cameron pledged to go "all out" for a convincing Tory victory as he embarked on a gruelling final push to convince undecided voters.
08 October 2007
Brown Faces Down Poll Criticism
Gordon Brown has denied that decision not to hold a snap autumn election is due to poor performance in opinion polls. The Prime Minister held a press conference at noon today in which he said he needed more time to set out his vision to the electorate.
07 May 2010
UK Faces Hung Parliament
The majority of votes are in for the UK general election and predictions show that Britain faces its first hung parliament since 1974. With the votes that have already been accounted for it is apparent that the Tories will be the largest party and Labour can no longer win a majority.
26 April 2010
Firms Fear Hung Parliament
Nearly two thirds of British companies are "concerned" about the impact of a hung parliament, a study has revealed. According to the new survey by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) 65% of those polled were either "concerned" or "very concerned" about a hung parliament.
26 January 2011
Bidding Round For Regional Growth Fund Closes
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has received nearly 450 bids in the first round of the Regional Growth Fund. The fund is designed to encourage enterprise, growth and jobs in the private sector and support regions that are dependent on the public sector.