Tories v Labour: it could be a tie on 7 May, says Ashcroft

Polling shows two main parties could tie on 272 apiece - with surging SNP holding the balance of power

Columnist Don Brind

Labour and the Conservatives could be tied on 272 seats apiece in the general election, with the SNP holding the balance of power with as many as 56 seats in Scotland, if Lord Ashcroft’s latest polling proves super-accurate.

With the Lib Dems estimated to lose at least half their 57 seats, it means a further Tory-Lib Dem coalition looks impossible: together the two parties would be lucky to amass 300 seats – way short of the 326 needed to form a majority government.

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is a former BBC lobby correspondent and Labour press officer who is watching the polls for The Week in the run-up to the 2015 election.