The Bishop of Hereford is urging people not to vote according to the personalities of the main party leaders on May 6, but the policies that will benefit the whole nation and planet.

The Rt Rev Anthony Priddis said that while the televised leaders’ debates had generated more discussion and interest in the election, they had also made the election “more of a celebrity beauty parade and more presidential”.

“Government and what our nation needs is far more than just one person, however important they are,” he said.

The bishop echoed the recent advice from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, encouraging Christians to consider what kind of society they wanted and to focus on the “common good” and the values that were needed by government and people alike.

Some of the issues he highlighted included the widening gap between rich and poor, the strengthening of family life and marriage, and care for the environment.

He said: “It matters that we do vote and it matters that we decide not on personalities or single regrettable words, but on policies that will be for the common good of our nation and planet.”

The leaders of the three main parties, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Nick Clegg have been out on the campaign trail in a last minute dash to win as much support as possible in the remaining hours before the UK heads to the polls.

The latest polls indicate that the Conservatives will receive the highest number of votes in tomorrow’s election, but not enough to win an overall majority.