THE people of Britain have rejected Gordon Brown as their Prime Minister – but they have not fully embraced David Cameron.

And the temptation to take a chance with the telegenic Nick Clegg was ultimately overcome by the fear among too many that it would prove to be a wasted vote.

It all leaves the party leader, who finished in third place, as the man with the key to Number 10.

This is where British politics finds itself in the wake of one of history’s strangest General Elections – and there is a lot of negotiating to be done yet.

With the Tories winning the biggest number of seats, Mr Clegg is right to talk to Mr Cameron first, but a deal will be hard won. It will hinge on Mr Cameron being serious about a review of proportional representation, and that is a proposition many Tories will not countenance.

Yet, it is even harder to envisage a future for Mr Brown as Prime Minister.

Even with the Lib Dems on board in an anti-Tory alliance built on electoral reform, Mr Brown would need to muster further support.

It would end up as a weak mishmash of a government, with Scottish, Irish and Welsh MPs demanding protection for their own public services, and leaving the North-East, with its heavy public sector reliance, even more vulnerable to inevitable cuts.

Britain has landed in a political quagmire which needs to be turned into a stable government as quickly as possible if we are to avoid further turmoil on the financial markets.

And the way the election numbers stack up, a government led by David Cameron now appears to be the best way to serve the national interest.