Heseltine: Tories cannot win outright

By Jonathan Wynne-Jones and Melissa Kite Published: 9:03PM GMT twenty Feb 2010

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Lord Heseltine has pronounced he thinks an undisguised Tory feat is doubtful Photo: GETTY

The celebration grandee dumbfounded activists by claiming that story was opposite Mr Camerons hopes of securing an altogether majority.

Instead, the former emissary budding apportion pronounced he would "put money" on a hung parliament, with the Tories the largest party. Mr Cameron would afterwards be forced to call a second choosing after this year to find a correct charge to govern.

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His comments, at a assembly of celebration members in west London, simulate a flourishing stress in between the care about the distance of the charge they still face to secure undisguised victory.

The formula of a YouGov check show the Tory lead squeezing to 6 points. A apart check shows Mr Camerons personal lead over Gordon Brown has been halved in the past 6 months.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister put Labour on an choosing balance with a warlike debate propelling electorate to give him "a second look".

He was assured that his celebration would slight the opening in the polls as MPs strike the doorsteps in expectation of a May 6 election.

Lord Heseltine, who is Mr Camerons confidant on cities, pronounced at a fund-raising eventuality last Tuesday that he did not think that the partys lead would grow sufficient in between right away and polling day to give it a operative majority.

Activists at the event, that was attended by comparison Tories together with Francis Maude, the shade apportion for the Cabinet Office, voiced warn at the desperate message.

Asked to blow up on his comments, Lord Heseltine told The Sunday Telegraph: "The Tories are using around 10 points forward in the polls, that should give you a really big altogether infancy in infancy of the post-war world, but at this impulse it gives you an altogether infancy of one.

"Once you know that, you know the Tories contingency adopt a all dynamic perspective - theres no room for complacency, the a ruin of a battle.

"You need a pitch for that there is usually one essential post-war precedent," he said, referring to Labours win in 1997 when a 10.3 per cent pitch warranted a landslide 179 majority. "Tony Blair was serve forward in the polls in 97," pronounced Lord Heseltine. "If I was a betting man, my income would be on the choosing ensuing in a hung council with David Cameron as Prime Minister."

Asked if Mr Cameron would be means to govern, he said: "I think you wouldnt see a full parliament, thats for sure. There are a range of people who are ancillary the Labour Party who would never have upheld it over the 1960s or 70s. People think Im being cautious, but thats not a bad place to be. "

A Tory orator said: "We are dynamic to win this choosing with a transparent infancy but Lord Heseltine is right that the pitch indispensable to do so is significant.

"David Cameron has regularly pronounced that we need to benefit 117 seats to win a infancy and that hasnt happened given 1931. Thats because we are you do all we can to set out the preference forward of the election."

Lord Heseltines counsel would crop up to be borne out by investigate by PoliticsHome.com, that shows Mr Camerons personal ratings descending at an augmenting rate.

When electorate were asked in Sep either they thought he was you do a great or a bad job, Mr Cameron scored a certain opening rating of 36. That rating fell usually until it was twelve by the second week of February. By contrast, Mr Browns opening rating was reduction 55 in Sep last year and climbed to reduction 33 by mid-February.

If the direction continued, Mr Cameron and Mr Brown would both have opening ratings of only next 0 on May 6, the infancy expected date of a ubiquitous election.

There is serve bad headlines for the Tories currently with the YouGov check display the celebration down one to 39 per cent and Labour up dual to 33, the smallest opening given Dec 2008. The Liberal Democrats are on seventeen per cent.