They say every little helps, but a former Tory leader at Tesco in Shettleston, Glasgow, where his party is locked with the other 100-1 shots, the Liberal Democrats, in a fight for, at best, third place?

And that's assuming that the Greens or one of the Socialist parties don't overhaul them.

Still, William Hague was up for it yesterday, patrolling the aisles of the superstore with his party's Scottish leader, Annabel Goldie, and Glasgow East candidate Davena Rankin.

They were highlighting the cost of rising food prices, and the Yorkshireman knew his stuff. "That's the one that sells, obviously," he observed, pointing to the almost empty bin of plain white potatoes at £1.49 for 2.5kg, while there were plenty of Exquisa left, even knocked down 50p to £1.50 a kilo.

"We're open to potatoes of every kind," observed Mr Hague. "That's how much we've changed." Then he headed off to look at the steaks, as befits a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy.

"We're clearly making progress," he said of his party's chances, although it's an optimism the bookmakers don't seem to share.

"The truth is that we have the best candidate and it is quite clear that the Conservative Party is moving on.

"David Cameron is winning a broad support across the UK in a way we haven't seen for a very long time.

"The fact that our candidate is getting a great reception says it all."

Could defeat end the Prime Minister's occupancy of No 10? "I have no idea of Brown's fate if Labour lose. We're not going to intrude into the internal affairs of another party but the agenda is being set by the Conservative Party," he said.

There were lots of blue balloons, plain, with no Tory logos or slogans on them. There were plenty of takers, but they didn't look like Conservative supporters.

Across the constituency, the Liberal Democrats were staging an event in the shadow of Celtic Park where blue balloons would have found few takers.

Their candidate Ian Robertson was with leadership contender Tavish Scott and Glasgow MSP Robert Brown to launch a petition in the campaign to save Parkhead Fire Station.

A consultation is about to open on a plan to shut the station and build a new "super-station" in Cambuslang to serve the east end of Glasgow.

"It would be a cut from three stations to two and this one would close, simple as that," said Mr Robertson. "What's super' about that?"

He added: "Reducing fire services for such a densely populated area risks lives. Closing this local station with the redevelopment and expansion that will come with the Commonwealth Games undermines community safety and I fully support the Fire Brigades Union in efforts to save this station."