UK Conservatives lead new poll but may fall short of majority as Britain's May 6 vote nears

LONDON – LONDON (AP) — Britain's three main party leaders fanned out across the country on Monday to campaign in target districts, as a new poll suggested the Conservatives were leading, but unlikely to win a majority.

With just days to go before the May 6 vote, the poll in Monday's Guardian newspaper showed David Cameron's Conservative Party ahead by five percentage points, but the newspaper said the support was insufficient to take a majority of seats in Britain's House of Commons. To secure a majority, a party must win at least 326 seats out of 650.

The ICM/Guardian poll put the Conservatives at 33 percent. The Labour Party, led by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and the Liberal Democrats, led by Nick Clegg, were tied with 28 percent each.

The survey questioned 1,026 adults by telephone from April 20 to May 2. No margin of error was given, but in samples that size it is plus or minus 3 percent.

The three candidates are to separately address a citizens' forum in London later on Monday.

Polls throughout the campaign have suggested no party will take a majority of seats, known in Britain as a "hung parliament" — a situation that could make Clegg and his party the kingmakers. They could barter with both the Conservatives and Labour, pushing the issues that are most important to them, such as changing Britain's electoral system, in exchange for their support.

Over the weekend, Brown acknowledged that his party — which currently holds 345 seats in the Commons — is the underdog. "But," he said, "we're fighting with every inch of our being."

Brown was speaking to The Observer newspaper, which threw its backing behind Clegg's party. The Liberal Democrats had already won the support of the left-leaning Guardian, traditionally a strong supporter of the Labour Party.

Cameron's party has received endorsements from The Times, along with other Rupert Murdoch-owned publications such as The Sun and The News of the World. Other newspapers have urged voters to support whichever party is most likely to keep the Conservatives out of power.