Tricia Howard
Legal executive, 62, Taunton
Former mistress of Paddy Ashdown (1986)
‘I’ve lost heart in British politics. We have no opposition and a very right-wing Labour government, further right than the Tories. It makes me angry. Because of the war it’s difficult to vote for Blair, but frankly, who else is there? It’s a question of better the devil you know. Blair has had such a bad press that in the future he is likely to be much more cautious. He’s doing a lot of back-pedalling now, so he is probably a safer bet than anyone else.’
Will vote for: Labour or no one
Emily Barr
Novelist, 33, Bordeaux (proxy vote)
Former mistress of Tory MP Hartley Booth (1993)
‘Living in France gives me a different perspective. Many things work better here than they do in Britain – childcare, schools, the health service. It’s quite frustrating: why can’t Britain get it right? My first reaction is to vote Lib Dem. I’m their dream, a floating voter. But they’re not going to get in. Despite the Iraq war, Labour has done a lot of things that are better than what the Tories would have done: child poverty, drop the debt.’
Will vote for: Labour or Lib Dem
Sally Farmiloe
Actress, 55, London
Former mistress of Jeffrey Archer (1996)
‘The Tories are kinder on high-earning people. There is no point working your butt off if you are going to pay so much tax. Michael Howard is an amazingly honest politician. More than ever, this time there’s a better leader. Crime is a big issue. I’ve been burgled twice in four years. The police don’t seem motivated. They’re doing the wrong things, spending too much time on traffic. And I worry about immigration – we’re an island. We need to maintain our national identity. We’ve been swamped.’
Will vote for: Conservatives