Summary

  • There are 32 days until the general election on 7 May

  • Chancellor George Osborne tells Sky News it is "not his plan" to cut top rate of tax from 45p to 40p

  • Lib Dem David Laws tells Radio 5 live the Tories have shown “unbelievable cheek” in taking credit for rises in the personal tax allowance

  • Labour leader Ed Miliband wanted to be seen as a "happy warrior" in last Thursday's TV debate, according to notes reported by the Sun

Live Reporting

Marie Jackson, Rob Corp, Brian Wheeler and Adam Donald

  1. Who's gotta lotta bottle?

    Nothing says Easter to me more than lamb. Usually, I prefer it served with mint sauce, but I'm quite keen on the fluffy new-born variety too. And so, it appears, does our prime minister, who has taken time out of his Easter Sunday to feed some orphaned young 'uns (as we say in the West Country) at a farm in his west Oxfordshire constituency. Ahhhhh.

    Prime Minister and lambAFP

    PM David Cameron feeds an orphaned lamb at a farm near the village of Chadlington in Oxfordshire

  2. 'Unholy alliance'

    The UK would have higher debt, higher taxes and weaker defences if the SNP ends up "propping up a weak Ed Miliband government", Chancellor George Osborne has told Sky News.

    Mr Osborne said it was clear there would be "an unholy alliance" between Labour and the SNP in the election.

    You can read our story here.

  3. Gardening with George

    George Osborne at garden centrePA

    George Osborne restocks plant displays at a garden centre in Brentford, west London

    We've been on navy crew-neck jumper watch since David Cameron and Ed Miliband both sported one on Good Friday. Now George is following suit. Will this be the look of the campaign trial? We'll keep you posted.

  4. Chief Political Correspondent for the Financial Times Jim PIckard

    @PickardJE

    tweets:

    Least expected fact of the day: David Cameron is a 13th cousin of Kim Kardashian - according to Sunday Times magazine

  5. Knock, knock

    Labour candidate Mike O'Brien talks to Jason Chadney and his six-year old son while campaigning in Wood End,AP

    Do you let your bath towel slip, set your dog on them or invite them in for a cup of tea? Our political reporter Gavin Stamp has been looking at how to talk to a politician on your doorstep.

  6. Where parties stand on tax

    With all this talk of tax and tax cuts, our policy guide helpfully shows you where each of the parties stands.

  7. 'It's winning seats that matters': Farron

    Tim Farron, a front-runner to succeed Nick Clegg as leader of the Lib Dems, insists he's not thinking about anything beyond 7 May. He caused ructions in recent weeks when he said his party had been "tarnished" by the coalition with the Conservatives and marked it two out of 10. Former leader Paddy Ashdown called his comments "untimely and unwise". Today, he told Sky's Murnaghan:

    The election we're facing in 32 days' time is the biggest one for this country for many years - the hardest and toughest one for the Liberal Democrats in a generation. If I give any head space whatsoever to what happens afterwards then that is foolish and disloyal and I haven't got the energy for that. My focus is entirely on making sure myself and my colleagues up and down the country win as many seats as possible because that's what matters for Britain."

  8. 'Tories stand up for the few': Labour

    Chris Leslie, Labour's shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, criticises Chancellor George Osborne's refusal to rule out tax cuts for the highest earners on Sky News' Murnaghan.

    The Conservative Party's secret plan has now been exposed. Asked four times, George Osborne repeatedly refused to rule out another top-rate tax cut for millionaires. The Tories have raised taxes for millions but cut them for millionaires. And it's now clear that if they win the election they'll do the same again. While Labour's better and fairer plan will back tax cuts for working people, these same old Tories always stand up for the few."

  9. Eh? More on Ed's notes

    Waiting for the Easter roast lamb to cook? Here's a challenge to take your mind off those hunger pangs. Try deciphering Ed's crib notes from the ITV leaders' debate... The Sun has published all the notes, despite most being virtually illegible.

    Ed Miliband's noteSun on Sunday
    Ed Miliband's notesSun on Sunday

  10. 'Every time we say goodbye'

    Mick HucknallGetty Images

    Simply Red's Mick Hucknall once donated money to former Labour PM Tony Blair. Now, according to the Sun, he supports David Cameron and Nick Clegg.

    "If I had to, I would vote for the Coalition - I've liked the Coalition," the paper quotes him saying.

  11. More on tax

    Pienaar's Politics

    BBC Radio 5 Live

    On the subject of tax, Lib Dem David Laws says Nick Clegg and Danny Alexander will spell out later this week how the party would “go far faster than the existing trajectory for increasing the personal tax allowance”.

    His party will make sure that "upper rate taxpayers gain as well" from the personal tax allowance rises, he adds.

  12. 'No plan for tax cut for high earners': Osborne

    Back to George Osborne. He tells Sky News' Murnaghan he has "no plans" to lower the top rate of income tax from 45p in the pound to 40p, if the Conservatives are returned to government. He insists that if tax cuts for high earners had been a Tory priority, they would have said so.

    "You can judge us by what we say we want to do. And what we want to do is increase the tax-free personal allowance to £12,500. So people full time on the minimum wage don't have to pay income tax and millions of people are better off. And when it comes to higher rate tax payers, our priority is increasing the threshold at which you pay that higher rate, the 40p rate, to £50,000."

  13. Church service

    Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha arrive at a church in Oxfordshire for an Easter Sunday servicePA

    David and Samantha Cameron walk hand-in-hand to an Easter Sunday service at a church in Oxfordshire.

  14. Zero-hour contracts

    Pienaar's Politics

    BBC Radio 5 Live

    Shadow Business Secretary Chuka Umunna says Labour may need to do more to curb abuse of zero-hours contracts. Earlier this week, Ed Miliband announced that a Labour government would pass a law giving employees the right to another contract after 12 weeks of working regular hours.

    Mr Umunna said zero-hours contracts did suit some workers. "We don't believe that all zero-hours contracts are awful and bad.

    "What I've got an issue with is where you are basically lumping the entire burden and risk of work on the side of the employee and it isn't properly shared."

    He denied Labour's plan would lead to workers being sacked just before they qualified for another contract. But he said if Labour's changes were introduced, the party would monitor the impact on workers.

  15. Osborne on party leadership

    More from Murnaghan's interview with Chancellor George Osborne, who was speaking from a garden centre in west London.

    Asked if his party is in "cahoots" with the SNP, he says the outstanding leader in Scotland is the head of the Scottish Tory party, Ruth Davidson. Viewers of Thursday's leaders' debate, he says, could see who would be the weaker leader - Ed Miliband - and who would be the stronger leader - Nicola Sturgeon

    He goes on to dodge some questions on him taking over David Cameron's job. "I want to be the chancellor of the exchequer after the election. The leadership I'm interested in, is the leadership of David Cameron".

  16. Pensions 'revolution': Osborne

    Chancellor George Osborne is selling his new 'pensions freedom' scheme on Sky News' Murnaghan. He calls it a "revolution" that will improve the retirement of millions of people by giving them access to their savings. Advice on the scheme, which comes in at midnight tonight, will be available on a website, on the phone and in face-to-face sessions with the Citizens Advice Bureau, he says.

  17. 'Unbelievable cheek': Laws

    BBC Radio 5 Live

    Lib Dem minister David Laws tells Pienaar's Politics the Conservatives have shown “unbelievable cheek” in taking credit for rises in the personal tax allowance. “There hasn't been a single budget or Autumn Statement in this parliament where the prime minister or the chancellor have ever made this a Conservative ask,” he says.

  18. 'No UKIP-Conservative coalition': O'Flynn

    UKIP's economy spokesman Patrick O'Flynn tells Sky News' Murnaghan his party wants to be the "voice of fiscal responsibility". He's asked if UKIP would form a coalition with the Conservatives. His response: "We are not interested in coalition." When pressed further, he says the public will not be seeing UKIP MPs in any ministerial roles.

  19. Poll Watch: No change... yet

    A week into the election campaign and  David Cowling, our polling expert, says early polls don't yet point to any significant change.

    In 12 campaign polls so far, six have suggested narrow Conservative leads, four had equally narrow Labour leads and the remainder were dead heats.

    The average share of those not voting Conservative, Labour or Lib Dem in those polls was 24% - double the actual 12% who voted for parties outside the main three Westminster parties in 2010.

  20. Osborne coming up

    We're expecting to hear from Chancellor George Osborne shortly on Sky News' Murnaghan. We'll let you know what he has to say.