Polls apart

Such desperate tactics would be redundant if there was any serious chance of Labour winning tomorrow. They would actually be trying to accentuate the positive and the wider benefits of a fourth-term government.

Labour is treading a very dangerous path. By imploring people to vote tactically to keep the Tories out of office, there's a likelihood that this message will further bolster the Liberal Democrats – and increase the likelihood of Labour finishing third in terms of vote share.

If this proves to be the case, Gordon Brown will have no moral mandate to remain in 10 Downing Street in a bid to form a coalition or power-sharing arrangement.

Potentially, the repercussions are far-reaching. After the Premier's key lieutenant Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary, spoke about the prospect of his parents having to vote tactically in Norfolk, a Labour no-go area, it emerged that one of the party's candidates in that region had branded Mr Brown as the "worst Prime Minister" Britain has had. Many will agree with this sentiment.

What will be intriguing is whether voters in Morley and Outwood, the West Yorkshire marginal being contested by Mr Balls, will now follow his advice in order to keep Labour out.

It's also totally unacceptable for the pious Peter Hain, the Welsh Secretary and Mr Balls's close colleague, to talk about an anti-Conservative majority in this country. Using the same arithmetic, it can be argued, even more forcefully, that there's an anti-Labour majority. And, when it comes to electoral reform, Mr Hain is in no position to deliver lectures – his party has had 13 years to address

this issue. Why is it only acting now?