Summary

  • Labour say they would end non-domicile tax status

  • But a video emerges of Ed Balls saying the policy would cost the country money

  • The Tories say the plans are "a shambles"

  • Pupils who fail their Sats tests will have to resit under a future Conservative government

  • There are 29 days until the general election

  1. Get involvedpublished at 17:36 British Summer Time 8 April 2015

    Text: 61124

    Ian Baker, Wolverhampton:

    I agree with Ed Miliband Re: Non Doms. Tax rules should be fair and equal for everyone.

  2. Get involvedpublished at 17:29 British Summer Time 8 April 2015

    Tweet: @bbcpolitics

    @obknit tweets:, external

    Quote Message

    These craven,obsequious, absurdly overgenerous policies to foreigners,damage our national self-esteem.We hold ourselves cheap.#bbcpm #nondom

  3. Latest Seat Forecastpublished at 17:26

    BBC Newsnight Index

    Newsnight Index

    For the course of the general election campaign, Newsnight each evening will be publishing an exclusive Newsnight Index on the likely outcome, based on a sophisticated forecast model. It is produced by Chris Hanretty from the University of East Anglia and his colleagues at electionforecast.co.uk.

    The changes shown in brackets are since the last edition – on Tuesday 7 April.

    For more information on how the Index is produced, see here , external

  4. Electoral Commissionpublished at 17:19 British Summer Time 8 April 2015

    @ElectoralCommUK

    tweets:, external

    Quote Message

    Over 1 million online registration applications in last 3.5 wks!But still more people need to register before April20

  5. Marina Hyde for The Guardianpublished at 17:19

    The Guardian

    writes this article:, external

    Quote Message

    Nigel Farage seems nervous – even his supporters can't ask questions

  6. Farage 'upset' when UKIP's called racistpublished at 17:12

    With all his duties as UKIP leader, let's not forget that Nigel Farage is also battling to win a seat in the House of Commons - South Thanet. Speaking to the BBC, he said: "I've never said it was going to be a *cake walk. But do you know what? I'll get my nose on to that tape ahead of the others." He also defended the way his party is sometimes portrayed: "You've got this rounding of the establishment saying 'Ukip's a racist party'. It is not true and it does, I have to say, it does actually upset me a bit." * A cake walk is a black American term for a competition in which the contestant with the most accomplished walking style wins a cake.

  7. Get involvedpublished at 16:48

    Text: 61124

    Ian Manson:

    Great policy from Labour re Non Doms undermined by smart alec tory counter punch. Is it a sign of a government party that they react so quickly? What do Labour have to do to respond? Don't see the Labour Va Va Voom.

  8. Ed Balls clarifies Labour's 'non-dom' policypublished at 16:44

    Ed Balls

    Ed Balls has been explaining his apparent change of heart on the abolition of non-domicile tax breaks. Last January Mr Balls suggested that abolishing non-dom status could cost Britain money. Asked what had changed since then, he said: "What I said In January was we also need to make sure that people coming here for short periods of time, like students or short-term business visitors, can still do so."

    Quote Message

    That's why we we have said today we will have temporary rules for two or three years to allow people to come on those short stays. That sits alongside us abolishing these non-domicile rules. Labour will act on tax avoidance, the Conservatives won't."

  9. Reality Check: How much do non-doms contribute?published at 16:39

    Non-doms graphic
  10. Get involvedpublished at 16:33 British Summer Time 8 April 2015

    Tweet: @bbcpolitics

    @siobhanmariak tweets:, external

    Quote Message

    The interview this morning by Shabana Mahmood on #nondom basically sums up Labour as a party. They aren't quite sure what to do

  11. Get involvedpublished at 16:30 British Summer Time 8 April 2015

    Tweet: @bbcpolitics

    @JeremyCrick tweets:, external

    Quote Message

    Ed Miliband's #NonDom campaign has nothing to do with raising revenue – it's just the same old class war he's been fighting for four years.

  12. Nigel Farage meets for drinks in Dudley, part twopublished at 16:29

    BBC Radio 4

    Shaun Ley recounts how UKIP leader Nigel Farage got along with three voters in Dudley

    "When we arrived at the local hotel where the UKIP leader was due to speak, he was in the bar; but, I can report, sticking strictly to water. After a brief visit outside for a few puffs on a cigarette, he sat down with The World At One panel. None had decided to vote for UKIP, and at least one would be hard to persuade.

    I won't try to summarise the exchanges; you can hear them for yourself (Wednesday's edition of he programme is on the iPlayer). The discussion was polite and affable, with a few laughs for good measure.

    Did he win them over? After he'd said goodbye and headed off to prepare for his speech, I asked them. They all agreed he'd made reasonable points, although both Peter on Europe and Owen on immigration hadn't bought his argument. As for Rebecca, she told me she's increasingly being won over; what holds her back is the potential reaction of friends were she to vote UKIP on 7th May.

    Still, Nigel Farage appeared to enjoy the encounter. Which makes me wonder: are Dave, Ed, Nick and Natalie up for it, too?

  13. #nondoms - Get involvedpublished at 16:25 British Summer Time 8 April 2015

    Tweet: @bbcpolitics

    @HarryWorcester tweets:, external

    Quote Message

    Ed Balls has explained the #nondom shambles by saying there are good nondoms and bad nondoms

  14. Shaun Ley has been making plans for Nigelpublished at 16:24

    BBC Radio 4

    Nigel Farage talks to voters in Dudley

    Shaun Ley reveals how he got UKIP leader Nigel Farage around the table with three voters

    "I watched the seven-way debate of the party leaders in a pub in Dudley, in the English West Midlands. With me, three local voters, giving a GoggleBox-style commentary for The World At One on BBC Radio 4. (A TV format on the radio? Makes a change, it's usually the other way around).

    The discussion turned to who, regardless of their politics, they'd most like to have a drink with. No surprise that the master of saloon bar bonhomie Nigel Farage topped the list.

    That set me thinking and I began putting in calls to the UKIP media team to see whether he might be up for it. I knew he was bound to be coming to Dudley, probably more than once. Even in the general election in 2010, UKIP took more than 8% of the vote in each of the town's two constituencies, and that was before their European and Westminster electoral success. This is key territory for them.

    That reason alone might have been enough for Mr Farage to turn down a potentially risky, unscripted encounter with people his party doesn't know. Instead, without setting any pre-conditions, he agreed to meet Peter, a prominent local businessman who trades metal internationally; Owen, a community worker whose father moved to the UK from Jamaica several decades ago; and Rebecca, who works in heritage and has two young children.....to be continued....

  15. 1799 and all thatpublished at 16:12

    William Pitt the YoungerImage source, Getty Images

    The non-domicile tax rule was first introduced in 1799 by William Pitt the Younger. Britain was busily fighting Napoleon Bonaparte at the time and doing so allowed people with foreign property to shelter it from wartime taxes. Over two centuries later, thanks to Labour’s non-dom reforms, the ex-PM suddenly finds himself part of the political debate once again…

    • Labour peer Stewart Wood points out, external the non-dom system’s 18th Century origins mean they “have no place in a fair tax system in 2015”
    • Jon W Chambers, a speechwriter, isn’t impressed by this approach. “If you're using William Pitt in a political message you've lost the plot,” he’s tweeted, external
    • The non-dom story being "mired in confusion" as early as 11am this morning led writer John Simes, external to conclude that “William Pitt the Younger has had 200 years to get this right.......I mean!”
  16. A dash for the exitpublished at 16:09

    Time to sign off, now – this is Alex Stevenson wrapping up after what has been a day dominated by a single story. Let’s face it – the phrase ‘non-dom’ has been repeated so many, many times today it has started to become meaningless. Labour’s rather confused policy launch has generated some serious political heat, but Ed Miliband and co will be hoping the big thrust of their policy gets some cut-through with voters. Thanks for following us – and keep doing so, because there’s a lot more coming up with Kristiina Cooper and Rob Corp between now and midnight.

  17. Fisherman's friendspublished at 15:44

    UKIP leader Nigel FarageImage source, Getty Images

    As poster gaffes go, this one is off the scales (that's enough fish puns - ed). Today’s poster from UKIP unveiled by Nigel Farage in Grimsby features a 59-year-old fisherman from Devon with the slogan ‘GUTTED – Tony’s business has been ripped apart by the EU’. But Tony, who it turns out is Tony Rutherford of Bideford Fisheries, has told Buzzfeed, external he’s not sure who he’ll actually vote for. “It’s a very awkward question for myself because they’re all doing so much for us,” he’s quoted as saying. “It isn’t just UKIP that realises it’s serious, everyone does. It’s just UKIP that seems to do the shouting about it.”

  18. Get involvedpublished at 15:36

    Text: 61124

    Bob Reid:

    Go for it Ed. But do it fairly. Don't be put off by the threat of them all leaving the country after all where would they go?

  19. Non-doms: Be confused no morepublished at 15:34

    Businessmen in London

    It's OK - you're allowed to be confused. All this talk of non-doms is thoroughly confusing. So to help us all out our personal finance reporter Kevin Peachey has written a handy Q&A going through everything we need to know about non-domiciles in five minutes. Thank goodness for that.

  20. Jolyon Maugham, tax lawyerpublished at 15:25 British Summer Time 8 April 2015

    tweets, external :

    Quote Message

    Feeling a bit like today's Gillian Duffy.