'Not their priority'published at 07:45
Quote MessageMaking life a little easier for working people has never been George Osborne and David Cameron's priority, and it isn't now."
Nick Clegg, Lib Dem leader
Summary
Labour would abolish non-dom tax status for wealthy people who earn most of their money overseas, Ed Miliband is to announce
Nicola Sturgeon says the SNP would help make Ed Miliband prime minister as Scotland's political leaders hold a live TV debate
One hundred young voters grill politicians in a live debate on BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat
Tony Blair attacks David Cameron's plans to hold an in-out EU referendum
There are 30 days to go until the general election on 7 May
'Not their priority'published at 07:45
Prisons extremismpublished at 07:42
BBC Radio 4 TodayIslamic radicalisation in our prisons is getting worse, the Today programme has reported this morning. The issue is "not a new one", Home Secretary Theresa May says. She insists the government is working with the prison service to address the problem - but rejects the suggestion there's a shortage of prison staff to deal with the problem. "We need to continue looking at this issue of how we can insure that radicalisation does not take place in prisons."
Doing the sumspublished at 07:41
BBC Radio 4 TodayBut the IFS described the Tories' £3,000 figure - which related to the cost of Labour's future tax rises on working households - as "misleading", it's pointed out. Certainly not, Theresa May says. "What they have committed to is £30bn of savings and cuts in public spending... they've indicated that 50% of any savings would come from taxes and that's how we've come to the £3,000 figure." Simple maths really.
'Different values'published at 07:40
At the same time as Theresa May is speaking, so too is Lib Dem Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander. He's discussing his party's role in raising the personal income tax allowance and the Conservatives' desire to "take the credit", as he puts it.
Quote MessageOur coalition partner reluctance to embrace this policy was expressed by none other than the leader himself... Our coalition partners have very different priorities because they have very different values."
Danny Alexander
May on Labour's taxespublished at 07:38
BBC Radio 4 TodayTheresa May’s interview begins with a focus on the Tories’ claim that the last Labour government raised taxes by nearly £1,900. “That was across all income scales and in fact the biggest increase was for some of the poorest. It wasn’t the case Labour were helping the people they claim they help most, they weren’t,” she says. “The natural inclination of Labour in government is to put up taxes on hard-working people... if they were in government they'd do it again."
Theresa May interviewpublished at 07:34
BBC Radio 4 TodayHome Secretary Theresa May is now on the Today programme for this morning's big political interview. You can listen in by clicking on the "live coverage" tab above.
Image source, EPAPlaid's wishlistpublished at 07:30
BBC Breakfast
Plaid Cymru hopes to form part of a nationalist voting block in a hung parliament, and its leader Leanne Wood will be setting out her demands later. She’s appeared on BBC Breakfast to outline her party’s commitment to a genuine living wage, the scrapping of Trident and a 1% increase in GDP infrastructure spending across the UK.
Quote Message"Plaid Cymru is fighting this election on a platform of several policies that would not only benefit Wales but the UK as a whole. We recognise that communities are suffering in all four nations of the British state as a result of the Westminster government's austerity agenda. That is why we want to see a genuine rebalancing of wealth and power throughout the UK to make sure that prosperity reaches all corners of these islands.”
Out-of-hours carepublished at 07:24
BBC Radio 4 Today
Image source, PA“What we’ve seen throughout this parliament is measures withdrawn that have damaged access to care,” shadow health secretary Andy Burnham - pictured left - tells Today. Labour will reinstate the promise of a GP appointment within 48 hours, he confirms. But what will Labour actually do to boost out-of-hours care? “We want to get experienced staff back on the end of phones for the out-of-hours advice lines… secondly, we need to stop the closure of NHS walk-in centres, they gave people a real alternative to A&E at the weekends… and we need to improve GP out-of-hours services.”
Norman Smith, BBC assistant political editorpublished at 07:23 British Summer Time 7 April 2015
@BBCNormanS
Quote MessageAny Burnham defends Labour attack on @NicolaSturgeon over leaked memo as made "in good faith" on back of @Telegraph report"
Burnham on Sturgeonpublished at 07:22
BBC Radio 4 TodayShadow health secretary Andy Burnham has just spoken to the Today programme. He’s asked whether Labour owes Nicola Sturgeon an apology after the Easter weekend’s developments - over that leaked memo from the Scotland Office. The party was quick to jump on its contents - strongly denied - which claimed Ms Sturgeon would prefer David Cameron to Ed Miliband in No 10. “We can only respond to what people are reporting,” he says. “It falls to us, if there is a debate or dispute about what was said, that you don’t carry on making assumptions about what was said and that was the right thing to do in this case.”
BBC Radio 5 livepublished at 07:14 British Summer Time 7 April 2015
@bbc5live
Quote Message@NickyAACampbell is spending the morning in Grimsby - one of the marginals that could decide the outcome of #GE2015"
Laura Kuenssberg, chief correspondent and presenter of Newsnightpublished at 07:08 British Summer Time 7 April 2015
@bbclaurak
Quote MessageElex a month today- heading to Glasgow this morning... Scottish voters have influence this time like never before"
Robert Oxley, Business for Britainpublished at 07:05 British Summer Time 7 April 2015
@roxley
Quote MessageBlair gave away £10bn & counting in Brtiain's rebate & broke his promise for a referendum on EU constitution. Not a great EU track record..."
What Scottish voters wantpublished at 07:03
BBC Scotland has teamed up with Ipsos Mori for some polling on what Scottish voters really want to get out of the 2015 election. The top policy issues, it turns out, are:
- Increasing the minimum wage
- Guaranteeing a rise in old age pensions
- Increasing public services spending regardless of the deficit
- Cut spending rather than increasing taxes
There'll be more findings coming through later today, but the research has already revealed a lot. Here's our story.
Quote MessageIn all, a fascinating picture. An intriguing combination. And an opportunity to stimulate still further this remarkable election contest.
Brian Taylor, BBC Scotland Political Editor
'Bubble on tour'published at 06:53
Ross Hawkins
Political correspondentQuote MessageYou’re aware sometimes that people will come up to you and say, ‘What’s going on in there?' And you realise they’re the voters. They have no idea what’s going on in politics, sometimes for perfectly sensible reasons of security. But it does feel a little bit like the Westminster bubble on tour – as much to do with us as it is to do with them. The politicians, particularly from Labour, will say ‘We have a very hostile media’ and ‘Of course we want to do a good job of it’ - and it's true that it only takes one false word to get into horrible trouble these days on a camera phone. So it's understandable that the political parties are terribly careful about all these pictures and speeches, but it can end up feeling like a very well-prepared campaign.
Tom Newton Dunn, political editor of the Sunpublished at 06:43 British Summer Time 7 April 2015
@tnewtondunn
Quote Message"He faced down calls to follow the Tory concession from the media and many inside our Party." Blair on Ed, doing wonders for Labour unity."
Chris Ship, ITV News deputy political editorpublished at 06:41 British Summer Time 7 April 2015
@chrisshipitv
Quote MessageApparently more people watched politics than Poldark. Audience for #Poldark 5.2m. Audience for ITV #leadersdebate 7.4m"
Cameron's UKIP appealpublished at 06:37
The Daily Telegraph
Image source, REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth“Now please, come on, let’s get together and take the country forward.” That is David Cameron’s appeal in today’s Telegraph, external to disillusioned right-wingers who have deserted the Conservatives in favour of UKIP. His comments, from on board his party’s battle bus, and described by the Telegraph as his "most emotional appeal to people who have flirted with supporting UKIP", are certainly rather direct. “They can see the tougher approach we’ve taken to immigration,” Mr Cameron says. “They can see the changes we’ve made. And I think it’s the time for Conservative voters who went off to UKIP - it’s the time to come home.”
Today's paperspublished at 06:34
With exactly a month to go until polling day there's no surprise the papers are now very firmly focused on the general election. This morning's front pages focus in particular on David Cameron's troubles with UKIP - and Tony Blair's critical comments about their consequences, to boot. Cast your eye over them with our review .
Return of Blairpublished at 06:31
Image source, APTony Blair - you might have come across the name once or twice before - makes his return to the campaign trail today. The ex-PM, whose three general election victories make him Labour’s most successful post-war prime minister, will be doing his bit to get Ed Miliband into No 10 with a speech on Europe later. He’s speaking in his old constituency of Sedgefield on David Cameron’s approach to an EU referendum. "This was a concession to party, a manoeuvre to access some of the UKIP vote, a sop to the rampant anti-Europe feeling of parts of the media,” Mr Blair’s expected to say. He isn’t impressed by the Tory leader’s approach. "This issue, touching as it does the country's future, is too important to be traded like this." More here.