The four Labour MPs who were exposed in the British media in the latest "cash for influence" scandal are a huge embarrassment for Prime Minister Gordon Brown, especially in light of the upcoming British general election.

But according to senior foreign affairs correspondent Bernard Hammelburg, Tory leader David Cameron has a real knack of blunder at the exact moment when he is ahead in the polls. Therefore this latest corruption scandal does not automatically mean the Tories will win the election, which must take place before 3 June.

Meanwhile something has to give: the UK is crippled by strikes, British Airways is about to collapse, and the government's budget is a disaster. The voters are longing for a ‘hung’ parliament without a real majority for either Labour or the Tories. Then perhaps the Liberal Democrats can finally play their part, fundamentally changing the British political landscape.