Don't miss the chance

The tug of love between Gordon Brown and David Cameron over Nick Clegg will determine the future of our country after the most exciting, unpredictable General Election in decades produced a hung Parliament.

Mr Brown and Mr Cameron jockey for his approval because voters rewarded no single leader with the 326 seats required to command an overall Commons majority.

Instead power was shared between political parties - which is why Labour and the Conservatives this weekend furiously court the Liberal Democrats. So Mr Clegg faces a big choice: Does he install Cameron in No 10, support Brown or wash his hands and look the other way? The Right-wing media, which smeared Mr Clegg during the campaign and failed miserably to deliver Mr Cameron the Premiership, offers uninvited advice. It is cloaked in the national interest when it is really a brazen attempt to shoehorn their Tory into Downing Street.

We urge Mr Clegg to beware Bullingdon Boys and their allies bearing empty gifts.

He has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to secure electoral reform - fairer voting which would benefit all free-thinkers.

Mr Brown will do the deal. Mr Cameron will not, whatever his latest spin.

Together Labour and the Lib Dems won 15.4million votes to the 10.7million of the Conservatives.

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Jointly they command 315 MPs to the 306 of the Tories.

The two parties have a mandate, should they avoid ducking the challenge, to change British politics for the better for ever.

Bleating Mr Cameron has no God-given right to be Prime Minister.

Indeed constitutional convention puts the onus on Mr Brown to seek partners.

Of course Mr Clegg will make demands and Labour is under an obligation to consider whatever conditions he seeks to impose.

But Britain is at a crossroads and Mr Clegg would never be forgiven if he abandoned electoral reform to turn sharp Right.