IT IZZ GOING RIGHT DOWN TO THE WIRE; DECISION DAY IN GLASGOW NORTH EAST BY-ELECTION: Comedian joins Labour in final bid to clinch victory.

Byline: Magnus Gardham

COMEDIAN Eddie Izzard gave Labour a final boost ahead of today's Glasgow North East by-election.

He shook hands with party candidate Willie Bain and visited the campaign HQ yesterday to help rally activists.

With both Labour and the SNP still challenging for victory, the two parties are planning to flood the constituency with hundreds of volunteers to knock on voters' doors.

There are fears that a low turn-out could also hand the far-right BNP their best-ever result in Scotland.

First Minister Alex Salmond refused to predict an SNP win yesterday but he claimed voters were swinging behind the Nats.

He said: "I think the ground has shifted substantially towards us, we are fighting to the wire."

SNP candidate David Kerr said: "At this stage in the campaign, Labour are still ahead. "In football terms, we are 2-1 down with 20 minutes to go in the game but that means we have a chance and, hopefully, we have a good chance."

But Labour - now the bookies' clear favourites - insisted they were not taking the result for granted. Scots Secretary Jim Murphy urged voters to use the byelection as a "referendum" on Salmond's record in Glasgow.

He said: "Only apathy, or the anti-Glasgow SNP, can beat Labour so I would urge everyone to get out and vote."

Frantic Though candidates launched into a frantic final day of campaigning yesterday, they paused at 11am when they gathered at a war memorial to mark the Remembrance Day twominute silence.

Bain was also joined yesterday by International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander and Scots party leader Iain Gray.

Alexander joined Salmond in urging voters to reject the far-right BNP who are hoping for third place in the contest, a result they would hail as a breakthrough in Scotland.

Alexander said: "I hope the voters here reject the politics of division and hatred represented by the BNP."

Meanwhile, Tory candidate Ruth Davidson took the controls of a model aeroplane as part of a by-election stunt in Springburn Park.

Tory party chairman Eric Pickles said: "We accept we have a mountain to climb to persuade the Scottish people to vote Conservative."

Scots LibDem leader Tavish Scott joined their candidate Eileen Baxendale at a car wash to highlight problems faced by small businesses.

In total, 13 candidates are contesting the seat which was vacated by former Commons Speaker Michael Martin in June.

CAPTION(S):

NAT'S MY BOY: Salmond with candidate Kerr STARRING ROLE: Eddie Izzard with Labour candidate Willie Bain yesterday