The final opinion polls, published as the country goes to the polls, puts Labour on course for a second landslide victory.

The MORI poll, in the Times, gives Tony Blair a 15 point lead over William Hague - 45 per cent over 30 per cent. The poll puts Charles Kennedy on 18 per cent.

Gallup, in the Telegraph, put Labour on 47 per cent, the Tories on 30 and the Lib Dems again on 18.

The extent of Labour's lead across the polls reveals that the Conservatives have been unable to dent Tony Blair's grip on British politics putting him on track for a second parliamentary majority on a par with the 179 he won in 1997.

The MORI poll if translated into seats in a uniform way across the UK would give Labour a majority of around 200, the Gallup 210. But regional differences, turnout and the degree of tactical voting are likely to make the final result more complex than the polls predict.

Both polls find that Britain is heading for the lowest turnout since before the Second World War, MORI puts turnout on 65 per cent and Gallup, using 1997 ratios, on around 66 per cent. If the polls are right, the number of people not voting may exceed the numbers that give Blair a second historic landslide.