Conservatives welcome a letter from over 100 company bosses backing a “Conservative-led government”
Labour publishes its own letter signed by “people from all walks of life” as it pledges a crackdown on zero hours contracts
Lib Dems discuss plans to triple paternity leave to six weeks
Ed Balls and Nick Clegg take their campaigns to Scotland
There are 36 days until the general election
@peterdominiczak
Quote MessageEd Miliband says he wants to 'reverse the tide of privatisation' in the NHS. Pace of private company involvement greater under last Lab gov."
Ed Miliband's talking to Steve, who's unhappy about bankers whom he feels are still getting away with bad practice. "The job is absolutely not yet done - it hasn't been done by this government," Mr Miliband says. He promises he'll use a levy on the banks to pay for more nursery education.
@callummay
Quote MessageEd Miliband is asked how many MPs have private healthcare at Huddersfield factory. 'Not me and not anyone I know,' he says #ge2015
David Cameron arrived at Marston's brewery in Wolverhampton a short time ago. If he has anything to say - or drink - we'll bring it to you.
Email: politics@bbc.co.uk
Lesley, Kenley:
I am 58 so have been voting for a long time. I have never felt as confused as I do now. Please stop moaning about other parties/personalities and just tell us what you stand for. I want to vote FOR a party, not AGAINST one.
Ed Miliband is discussing zero hours with audience member Barry, who thinks firms would just find a way round giving workers a proper contract after 12 weeks. The Labour leader says he'll change the law to make sure they can't do that.
@Ed_Miliband
Quote MessageDavid Cameron said he couldn’t live on a zero-hours contract. If it’s not right for him, it’s not for others either
@iainjwatson
Quote MessageEd Miliband tells workers at David Brown engineering he'll clamp down on zero hrs contracts but no one here is on one."
Reality Check
Between October and December 2014, around 697,000 people said they were employed on a zero-hours contract in their main job, according to Office for National Statistics, external figures. A year earlier, the number was estimated to be 586,000.
Although this appears to be an 18.9% increase (rounded up to 20% by the Labour Party), we can’t say that this is a result of more people starting work on zero-hours contracts. ONS warns that some of this increase could be due to greater awareness of the types of contracts that people are on, especially given recent media coverage of this topic. This is likely to be true given that almost half of the increase was from people who said they had been on a zero-hours contract for more than a year.
So Ed Miliband’s claim of a 20% increase over the last year is unhelpful.
The Labour leader is taking questions now. The first one is a banker for him: how are you going to tackle high energy prices? Ed Miliband restates his plan for a price freeze. "It's an issue not just for families, but for businesses too."
Text: 61124
BBC News website reader:
Zero hours are brilliant. I can work where I like, when I like. I charge by the job not by the hour as I know how long it's going to take. I am in the motor trade.
Quote MessageThere's no greater symbol than an economy that doesn't work for ordinary people than zero hours contracts."
Ed Miliband
Ed Miliband says it's time the UK returned to being a country which properly "rewards hard work". He then runs through some of Labour's key election pledges - more free early years education, more nurses. These policies will be funded through the mansion tax, by cracking down on tax avoidance and "from the tobacco companies".
The Labour leader has just begun speaking in Huddersfield. He's joined by shadow work and pensions secretary Rachel Reeves.
Email: politics@bbc.co.uk
Vic, Bromley:
I do not understand all this negative campaigning, especially from the Conservatives. Must politicians call opponents names and use negative words on live TV? Why can't they spend more time on telling us what they plan to do if elected? No wonder the great apathy by young people towards politicians and voting in elections.
Quote Message"I'm very glad it's him and not me. He doesn't seem too nervous."
Samantha Cameron, PM's wife
Image source, PAEmail: politics@bbc.co.uk
Taka, London:
Chuka Umunna, shadow business secretary, is losing some credibility. This 12-week restriction on zero-hours contract came after Labour's business policy announcement on Monday. Employment and investments are based on prudent plans. What will he accounce in the next 48 hours?
Quote MessagePeople on zero-hours contracts are unable to plan their lives on a month-by-month or even week-by-week basis. We welcome the proposal from Ed Miliband and would work with any party committed to seriously tackling the problem of casualisation in education. The flexibility of these types of contracts is not a two-way street and people who want security and a proper contract should be able to secure one. The lack of job security in our colleges and universities is a huge problem and the scale of insecure contracts would probably shock many students and parents."
Sally Hunt, University and College Union general secretary
Workers and reporters awaiting Ed Miliband in Huddersfield.
@robindbrant
Quote MessageSamCam send to rochester fits @Conservatives renewed push to reach women voters. Choosing tolhurst was clear rejection of #ukip approach."