Election Live - 31 March

Summary

The Conservatives promise to create two million new jobs if re-elected
Labour say they will help small firms by cutting business rates by an average of £400
Plaid Cymru launch their election manifesto with a call to end austerity
Lib Dems promise to spend billions more on mental health
There are 37 days until the general election

Live Reporting

Victoria King, Alex Stevenson and Victoria Park

Robin Brant, BBC political correspondentpublished at 06:46 British Summer Time 31 March 2015
@robindbrant
tweets:, external After @David_Cameron, external struggled with net migration target fail on c4/sky last week #UKIP, external leader will call it a 'sham' promise #ge2015, external
Robin Brant, BBC political correspondentpublished at 06:43 British Summer Time 31 March 2015
@robindbrant
tweets:, external @UKIP, external will attack @David_Cameron, external on immigration weak spot today, with @Nigel_Farage, external accusing him of 'deliberately making a false promise'
Plaid manifestopublished at 06:37
Image source, Getty Images
The nationalists will be making the headlines again today. But this time it’s not the SNP: Plaid Cymru is releasing its general election manifesto later. Plaid, which will be part of the nationalist voting block in Westminster that is likely to be dominated by the SNP, is set to call for Wales to be handed similar powers to those now being given to Scotland. It’s also calling for a “rebalancing” of the economy and an end to austerity, as our preview suggests.
Tim Reid, BBC political correspondentpublished at 06:33 British Summer Time 31 March 2015
@TimReidBBC
tweets:, external Good to see many of those ex MPs who'd failed to adhere to HoC guidance have now put disclaimers or "candidate" on Twitter profiles #GE2015, external
Labour’s tax policypublished at 06:30
Ed Balls is off to visit a small business today as Labour pushes to prioritise small firms with a cut to business rates. His party is claiming that business rates cost companies an average of £1,500 a year after going up by nearly £3 billion since 2010. It’s a big contrast with the Tories’ corporation tax cuts which George Osborne has progressively reduced throughout the last five years. “This is the right priority when money is tight,” the shadow chancellor is expected to say. “And it will mean that the tax burden on small businesses will be lower with Labour than under the Tories.”
YouGov, polling firmpublished at 06:26 British Summer Time 31 March 2015
@YouGov
tweets:, external Update: Con & Lab tied - Latest YouGov / The Sun results 30th Mar - Con 35%, Lab 35%, LD 8%, UKIP 12%, GRN 5%; APP-10 Read more., external
Economy / healthpublished at 06:20
Image source, PA
Day two of the campaign, then, and the big themes of today are set to roll on right through polling day. The parties are focusing on the economy and health,as our overnight roundup outlines. But there’s the leadership question to look at, too – David Cameron will be doing the rounds this morning on TV and radio. We’ll bring you full coverage.