Summary

  • The Conservatives say their manifesto will have a commitment to build four new nuclear missile-armed submarines

  • Defence Secretary Michael Fallon accuses Labour of using the Trident replacement as a "bargaining chip" with the SNP

  • Ed Miliband says Mr Fallon had "demeaned himself and his office" after being described as a backstabber by Mr Fallon

  • Nicola Sturgeon says the SNP will not agree any formal power-sharing deal with Labour unless it drops plans to renew Trident

  • Labour proposes a new fund to provide one-to-one careers advice for school pupils in England

  • There are 28 days until the general election

Live Reporting

Dominic Howell and Andy McFarlane

  2. Chuckling chancellor

    Who says politics has to be hard work? Chancellor George Osborne seems to have had plenty of fun on the campaign trail today.

    Composite image showing various photographs of George Osborne laughtinVarious

  3. Jeremy Crick

    @JeremyCrick

    tweets:

    #Miliband accuses #Fallon of demeaning the office of Defence Sec – and then calls him Cameron's lackey. Which is not in the least demeaning.

  4. David Cameron

    @David_Cameron

    tweets:

    We want apprenticeships to be level-pegging with a university degree to give young people the skills and opportunities they need to succeed.

  5. 'Kamikaze mission'

    Journalist and human rights campaigner Trevor Phillips has told BBC News that Defence Secretary Michael Fallon's personal attack on Ed Miliband earlier today is an example of "disreputable politics". He added that he thought Fallon was on a "kamikaze mission".

  6. Toby Young, journalist

    @toadmeister

    tweets:

    @steverichards14 £100bn for the renewal of Trident also way off. Even the Greens’ wildly pessimistic estimate is £36bn

  7. Labour lead in new poll

    A new poll has given Labour a four-point lead over the Conservatives and - for the first time in the campaign to date - respondents said Ed Miliband was doing a better job than the prime minister. The Survation poll for the Daily Mirror sampled 1,111 adults yesterday and today, and the results were weighted. Labour gained two points on last week to reach 35%, while the Conservatives dropped one to 31%.

  8. John Stevens, Daily Mail political reporter

    @johnestevens

    tweets:

    Nigel Farage beginning to manage Ukip expectations ahead of general election... now talking about poll as "springboard for future gains"

  9. Bus v bird

    It might be called a battle bus, but did anyone expect the Lib Dem's campaign coach to draw blood?

    The Liberal Democrat campaign bus arrives in Chippenham - 8 April 2015Getty Images

    Nick Clegg's arrival in Poole, Dorset, coincided with an untimely end for an unfortunate pigeon who came into contact with the luxury vehicle. It hasn't stopped the wags on Twitter enjoying a joke at the poor bird's expense, as Mike Hills reports.

  10. Where have the leaders been?

    According to the PA news agency, David Cameron has notched up the most seat visits of the campaign so far. The prime minister has been to 18 constituencies, two ahead of Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg's 16.

    Ed Miliband was next on 10 visits, four ahead of Nigel Farage on six. David Cameron is the only leader to have been to all four UK nations. Ed Miliband has concentrated most of his visits in the north of England, while few candidates have visited constituencies in the South East.

  11. Tim Montgomerie, Times columnist

    @montie

    tweets:

    Miliband more likely to sell his principles in coalition talks than Cameron (45% to 34%) - @YouGov for @TimesRedBox http://www.thetimes.co.uk/redbox/

  12. Philip Webster, Assistant Editor (Politics) of The Times

    @Pwebstertimes

    tweets:

    See Red Box PM update. 64 per cent say Ed Miliband was right to take on brother David YouGov snap poll

  13. UKIP 'holding firm'

    Nigel Farage says his party has held firm in the polls since the recent televised debates. He tells reporters: "Support this week for UKIP has rallied. Since the debates last week there is a very clear firming of the polls on UKIP and I think the longer the argument goes on about who is the NHS for - is it for British people or the whole world? - all the while that argument continues, UKIP will be firm in the polls."

  14. More on the election nominations

    UKIP is looking to stand in 620 seats, up from 572 last time out, while the Greens will contest up to 95% of English and Welsh seats, and 31 out of 59 constituencies in Scotland. The British National Party said it is putting forward only "a handful" of candidates, fewer than the 338 who stood in 2010.

  15. Boris rallies support for Tories

    Boris Johnson has been on a whistle-stop tour of south London to bolster support for three Conservative parliamentary candidates. The London mayor spent all morning in the Liberal Democrat seats of Kingston and Surbiton, and Sutton and Cheam before ending up in the Tory-held marginal Croydon Central.

    Boris Johnson and James BerryPA

    Boris Johnson with Conservative candidate for Kingston and Surbiton James Berry meeting a member of the public

    Mr Johnson also features in our gallery of today's best pictures from the election campaign.

  16. Isabel Hardman, Assistant editor, The Spectator

    @IsabelHardman

    tweets:

    Tony Blair gave a speech at Labour HQ this afternoon, I understand. Details here http://specc.ie/1aa1ssl

  17. Nominations for the election close

    Nominations have officially closed for the general election, with the largest ever slate of candidates.

    Parliamentary hopefuls had until 16:00 BST to hand in their nomination papers, with the total number standing across the UK expected to outstrip the record of 4,150 candidates who competed in 2010.

    The three major parties were expecting to be represented in all 632 seats in England, Scotland and Wales - apart from the Speaker's Buckingham constituency - and the Conservatives are also running in 16 of the 18 seats in Northern Ireland.

  18. Liberty leader: I am an Islamo-realist

    Andrew Neil
    Daily and Sunday Politics

    A party leader who made a video declaring "I am a racist" was asked about the claim on the Daily Politics, and described himself as an "Islamo-realist". Liberty GB chairman Paul Weston told Andrew Neil that police and council staff in Rochdale and Rotherham overlooked child abuse "because they were terrified of being called racist" about Muslims. And he explained his opposition to Muslims holding public office, as the party puts forward three candidates at the general election who aim to halt immigration to the UK. Watch the interview

    Paul Weston

  19. Joe Churcher, Press Association Chief Political Correspondent

    @JoeChurcher

    tweets:

    Ukip's @SuzanneEvans1 has lost her voice so being replaced by @DianeUKIP on the @LBC women's debate

  20. Add to the debate

    Text: 61124

    George, Edinburgh:

    I hope the public don't forget that the Tories have done a very good job, and don't just remember Lynton Crosby's Karl Rove-esque campaign style. Bad politics from him, the most likely person to lose the Conservatives the election.