Getting ready for the UK election

English learners: News of tomorrow's general election in the United Kingdom will come first in English, so you will have a big advantage if you prepare today. Here is some of what to watch for.

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British Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party, David Cameron, and his wife Samantha Cameron, speak to members of the public in Wells, south-west England, during a UK general election campaign visit to the Wells May Day Fate. AFP PHOTO / POOL / DAN KITWOOD

Voting begins tomorrow in the United Kingdom's general election, but the real excitement will come Friday morning when the counting starts. There is a six-hour time difference from us here in Thailand, so according to our time, polling stations will open at 1pm tomorrow and close at 4am Friday. Here is some of what to watch for.

Leaders prepare final push in tight UK election

London, AFP – Britain's political leaders were in a final push for votes ahead of Thursday's knife-edge general election, while gearing up for the likelihood of drawn-out negotiations once polls close.

Prime Minister David Cameron, whose Conservatives are deadlocked with the opposition Labour party in opinion polls, launched a tour that will see him campaign until the last minute.

Neither of the two main parties is expected to win a clear majority in the House of Commons, setting the stage for days or weeks of negotiations to team up with smaller parties to take power.

Cameron urged voters to give his party a clear mandate to govern, saying the alternative was years of "backroom deals" if Labour sought to form a government with the support of the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP).

"There is still time to determine the outcome of this election," Cameron said.

A woman (centre R) takes a "selfie" photograph with Leader of the opposition Labour Party, Ed Miliband, (centre L) as he shakes hands with members of the public after speaking at a pre-UK general election event hosted by Citizens UK in London, on May 4, 2015. AFP PHOTO / JUSTIN TALLIS

Labour leader Ed Miliband has ruled out a formal deal with the SNP but it is thought he could be prepared to work with them on a vote-by-vote basis to take power in a minority government.

"Britain faces a clear choice on Thursday: between a Labour government that will put working people first or a Tory government that will only ever work for the privileged few," Miliband said.

While neither of the two main party leaders is talking in public about the possibility of a minority government, the polls suggest that Britain is heading that way for the first time since 1997.

The BBC's poll of polls puts the Conservatives and Labour at 34 percent and 33 percent respectively, figures that have barely shifted since the start of the election.

It is thought that neither of the main parties will win a clear majority in the 650-seat House of Commons.

Therefore the role of smaller parties such as the Liberal Democrats and the SNP is likely to be crucial.

Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg (R) takes part in a tennis coaching session at the Tudor Grange Leisure Centre in Solihull, central England on May 05, 2015, during a UK general election campaign visit. Britain's political leaders began a final push for votes. AFP PHOTO/PAUL ELLIS

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg, whose centrist party has been the junior partner in Cameron's Conservative-led coalition for the past five years, openly raised the prospect of a second election this year on the campaign trail.

He said that only his party, which is keeping open the possibility of backing either of the two main parties, could help create a stable government by working with the Conservatives or Labour.

But the Liberal Democrats could lose half their 57 members of parliament, and Clegg himself is fighting to keep his seat.

Scottish First Minister and leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), Nicola Sturgeon (C) waves to members of the public during a UK general election event in Largs, Scotland on May 4, 2015. Steely and polished, Scottish independence leader Nicola Sturgeon has emerged as an unlikely star of Britain's unpredictable election race and could decide who is prime minister after the May 7 election. AFP PHOTO/ANDY BUCHANAN

Meanwhile, the SNP could win more than 50 of the 59 seats in Scotland, despite losing last year's independence referendum.

Party leader Nicola Sturgeon has vowed to block the Conservatives and wants to work with Labour while extracting concessions such as stopping austerity cuts and scrapping Britain's Trident nuclear deterrent submarines, based in Scottish waters.

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