HOME Secretary Alan Johnson admitted that the Tories "seemed to have done very well’’.

But he stressed that the parties would have to look at the "will of the British people’’ before forming any coalition.

Mr Johnson told Sky News: "We're at the scale of a hung Parliament territory where the Tories seem to have done very well.

"We'll need to see. It sounds like our vote's held up and the Liberal Democrats - the air was coming out of the tyre, it's gradually seeped out from that first debate.’’ He added: "I've got no problem with deals and coalitions and all the rest of it. But it has to be in the right circumstances.

"We have to respect the will of the British people, and that all depends on how that finally pans out and what the percentage share of the vote is, although seats are important.’’ Mr Johnson added that he would be "surprised’’ if turnout was not up by at least 5%, and said it could have risen by as much as 10%.