Weather forecasters expect conditions to improve in large parts of the country when Britons go to the polls on Thursday.

Southern Britain will enjoy the best of the sunshine and should be mainly dry, while northern parts will continue to experience some wind and rain.

But the party leaders should probably not spend too much time thinking about how the weather will affect their chances of success.

When asked if the weather is likely to have an impact on the outcome of the election, John Curtice, professor of politics at Strathclyde University, replied: "The answer is no.

"In the absence of a major storm of the kind that disrupts traffic and therefore people don't get home by 10 o'clock in the evening, it doesn't make a difference.

"We live in a country where a bit of drizzle is commonplace."

Met Office meteorologist Charles Powell said: "By Thursday it looks as if we'll see the recent low pressure moving away to Scandinavia.

"High pressure will kill off a lot of the showers. There should be a good deal of dry weather in the south and west of the UK.

"Further north and east it will still be windy and there will be some showers but fewer than we've had recently.

"Through the day the winds will ease and the showers will clear. It will improve through the whole of the UK during Thursday."