British minister hints at May 6 election date

A British government minister dropped the clearest hint yet yesterday that this year's general election will be held on May 6.

Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth told Sky News television that voters "will wake up and rue the day if they wind up with a Conservative government in charge of this country after May 6".

Although his spokesman later said he was merely "speculating", the comments added fuel to intense speculation at Westminster that struggling Prime Minister Gordon Brown will call the national poll for May 6.

The election must be held by June. Bookmakers Coral suspended betting on the date following Mr Ainsworth's comment.

A Sunday Mirror/ComRes poll this week gave David Cameron's main opposition Conservatives 38 per cent support compared to 29 per cent for Brown's Lab-our. ComRes interviewed 1,004 people by telephone for a poll on Wednesday and Thursday.