British Prime Minister David Cameron yesterday visited Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace as parliament was dissolved and the campaign began for the general election.
The visit marked the formal start of the most uncertain election campaign for a generation as polling indicates neither Cameron’s Conservatives nor Ed Miliband’s opposition Labour Party will win enough seats to govern alone.
After seeing the queen, Cameron made a brief televised statement in front of his Downing Street office, saying Britons face a “stark choice” on May 7.
Photo: AFP
“The next prime minister walking through that door will be me or Ed Miliband,” Cameron said. “Ed Miliband pays lip service to working people while planning to hike taxes and increase debt.”
The current electoral picture would leave the two main parties dependent on smaller ones to form a government. Those include Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg’s Liberal Democrats, currently in coalition with the Tories, and the Scottish National Party, which has ruled out supporting a Conservative-led government.
Other parties that may play a role include the UK Independence Party, polling third in the national vote, the Greens and parties in Wales and Northern Ireland.
“You can choose an economy that grows, that creates jobs, that generates the money to ensure a properly funded and improving National Health Service, a government that will cut taxes for 30 million people and a country that is safe and secure,” Cameron said. “Or you can choose the economic chaos of Ed Miliband, more than £3,000 [US$4,440] in higher taxes for every working family to pay for more welfare and out-of-control spending.”
Cameron spoke shortly after Miliband set up Labour’s business manifesto, highlighting a pledge to keep Britain in the EU, whereas Cameron has promised a referendum on leaving.
Speaking in a Bloomberg Television interview after the speech, Miliband said businesses are “deeply concerned” Britain is heading toward an EU exit and Labour is offering a clear commitment to stay in.
Cameron’s visit to the queen was ceremonial and no longer compulsory before an election. The Fixed-Term Parliaments Act in 2011 removed the queen’s power to break up parliament.
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