Osborne: you’ll regret it if you don’t vote Tory

Voters will “live with the consequences for years” if they fail to switch their votes to the Tories, George Osborne warned last night.

The Chancellor said the party would work to address the “anger and anxiety” which produced significant Ukip advances in local elections.

He was careful not to criticise people who backed the Eurosceptic party in Thursday’s polls, insisting he had “respect” both for them and Ukip leader Nigel Farage.

This is despite him being forced to deny claims of racism over remarks about immigrants.

But dismissing calls for a Tory electoral pact with Ukip, he said the public would be confronted with a clear choice between the two main parties at the 2015 general election and that voting for the minority party could allow Labour to take power.

He spoke out as Labour sought to defend its campaign after results which suggested leader Ed Miliband was not on course to secure a Commons majority despite notching up some notable successes.

Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls said the results were “not good enough yet” and the party had to make arguments about controlling immigration and European reform “more loudly”.

Backbenchers rounded on “pointy heads” in London for failing to confront the threat from Ukip more directly and an “unforgivably unprofessional” campaign.