Barack Brown woos Clegg-Obama

After the Guardian's 20 April front page depicting Liberal Democrats leader Nick Clegg as the “British Obama”, the Independent leads today with a minimalist, and Obama-esque, portrait of Gordon Brown. Interviewed by the London daily, the outgoing PM, whose Labour party badly trails the Tories and Lib Dems in polls ahead of the 6 May election, has appealed for a “progressive alliance of natural Labour and Liberal Democrat supporters to join forces to keep the Conservative Party out of power.” The Brown appeal is seen as an attempt to prevent Labour being damaged by "Cleggmania”, which has transformed the election since the Liberal Democrat leader won the first televised debate between the three main party leaders. Under the eccentricities of the British first past the post electoral system, Labour may come third in the popular vote and yet end up with the most seats in a hung parliament. It would then need Clegg’s Lib Dems to form a government.