JUST AS I PREDICTED; TORIES EXTEND LEAD

BELFAST TELEGRAPH:

A clutch of polls showed the Conservatives extending their lead in the race for the May 6 General Election, but not making the breakthrough needed to secure an outright majority.

One survey - by Ipsos Mori for the News of the World - suggested that the surge in support for the Liberal Democrats sparked by Nick Clegg's strong showing in the TV debates may have melted away, leaving the party back where it was at the start of the campaign.

But others portrayed the contest as a genuine three-horse race likely to result in a hung Parliament, with the Tories the largest single party.

In the first survey to ask postal voters who they will back, in the Mail on Sunday, BPIX found that 34% said they will back the Conservatives, with the Liberal Democrats on 30% and Labour trailing on 27%.

The millions of postal voters are a "wild card" in this year's election, as many are expected to send their ballot papers off over the next few days, denying the parties the chance to influence them in the final TV debate on Thursday or the remaining days of campaigning.

The BPIX poll found that overall the Tories were on 34% (up three points since last week), the Lib Dems on 30% (down two) and Labour on 26% (down two).

A YouGov survey in the Sunday Times put Tories on 35% (up two), with the Lib Dems down one on 28% and Labour down three on 27%. In the Sunday Telegraph, ICM had Tories on 35% (up one), Lib Dems on 31% (up two) and Labour on 26% (down one).

THIS LEAD WILL GROW IF CAMERON STARTS POUNDING ON THIS:

IT'S EITHER CHANGE WITH HIM

OR A HUNG PARLIAMENT WITH LABOUR.

THIS WILL BOTH DEPRESS LIB-DEM VOTING AND GET SOME TO VOTE TORY.

(WE FIRST POSTED THIS ANALYSIS/PREDICTION YESTERDAY. I THINK THE TORIES MIGHT BE ABLE TO WIN A MAJORITY!)