Carole Walker
Conservative campaign correspondent

Have the Conservatives heeded the criticism of negative campaigning? Today David Cameron will focus on two positive announcements as he campaigns in the South West where the Tories are hoping to seize seats from the Liberal Democrats.

The freeze on commuter rail fares for five years represents an attempt to encroach onto Labour’s cost-of-living agenda. It is in fact an extension of what has happened for the past two years, when regulated fares have been capped at the rate of inflation. But it allows the Conservatives to woo those “hardworking families” beloved by politicians of all parties.

A rather less familiar phrase is being revived from the early Cameron years – the Big Society. The idea of giving charities and voluntary groups a greater role in society was an important theme of the last election but is rarely mentioned these days.

On Newsnight this week one of Mr Cameron’s senior ministers Michael Gove said “I think its unlikely that we’ll hear that phrase”. But in the briefing on today’s initiative to give employees of larger companies and public sectororganisations three days paid leave to volunteer, David Cameron says this is “the clearest demonstration of the Big Society in action”. Questions are already being asked about the administrative burden and costs involved. There is no extra government money but Tory aides say many organisations already have similar schemes and benefit from a more productive workforce.

Mr Cameron’s team reject suggestions today’s agenda represents a change of strategy or a softening of their tone. Despite the row over the personal attack on Ed Miliband over Trident, they believe it successfully raised questions about the Labour leader’s character and the future security of the country.

We haven’t seen the last of the personal attacks in this campaign.

Image source, AP

England should boycott the 2022 World Cup in Qatar over the country's record on gay and workers' rights, Green Party leader Natalie Bennett has said today.

According to the Gay Times, Ms Bennett said: "I think there are so many issues around Qatar - gay rights issues, workers' rights issues."

Ms Bennett also said there is a cultural problem within sport as gay athletes rarely come out, and if they do it is usually after retiring, adding that a way to tackle the problem would be to treat homophobic chants at football matches with the same seriousness as racism.

There's been some reaction to the Tory proposal to tie rail fares to the rate of inflation.

Manuel Cortes, leader of the TSSA rail union, says: "The Tories' belated conversion to inflation-only fare increases is welcome.

"But we must remember it was their crazy decision to privatise our railways 20 years ago which has seen fares more than treble on the most popular routes since then - a staggering 246% in peak fares between London and Manchester is but one example.

"Now, after starting the inferno on fares, they want to claim credit for stopping it just ahead of the general election."

Labour has been quick off the mark to claim that the Conservative proposal to give workers an extra three days annual leave to volunteer and do good work isn't a new one. The party is citing a BBC article date 3 June 2008 as evidence that it is a rehashed policy...

Billy68, Lincs:

Regards volunteer leave, my wife works in the NHS and they struggle to cover leave now, both physically and financially. To suggest hospitals would be able to cover this without additional funds is, possibly the most ridiculous statement of the election so far, and that's saying something!

The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition is to launch its manifesto in London today, promising to field more than 130 candidates.

The party was co-founded by the late Bob Crow of the RMT rail union in 2010, with a number of socialist groups.

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Image source, Twitter

Brian, Norfolk

Out on the campaign trail today: David Cameron will give a speech on volunteering , talking about the Big Society; Ed Miliband is in Scotland talking about policing proposals.

The Lib Dems will launch their proposal to help grown-up children stuck living with their parents to claim a government loan of up to £2,000 to move out and rent their own home.

If you want to know more about parties' policies, you can read their stance on key issues here .

BBC Radio 4 Today

What about house building? Simon Hughes says the coalition will be the first government ever to have left the amount of social housing greater than the amount inherited. Social housing provision fell by one million under the Conservatives and 500,000 under Labour, he says.

Mr Hughes says the Lib Dems are committed to building 300,000 houses a year. “Across the country there are a lot of youngsters that want to be independent but they just can’t get over the threshold and the great benefit of this system is that at the end of your [rental] period you get your money back,” he says.

He says this is just part of a set of proposals of which a big house building programme is the main part.

Norman Smith
Assistant political editor

The BBC's Norman Smith points out that Nick Clegg and his wife Miriam let the ITV cameras into their kitchen yesterday- and they seem to escaped relatively unscathed, he says.

There have been one or two upsets with kitchens in this election campaign: both David Cameron and Ed Miliband have come a cropper near the chopping boards.

BBC Radio 4 Today

Liberal Democrat Simon Hughes is on the Today programme talking about the Lib Dem proposal to help young people, who are in work but living at home with their parents, with a rental deposit so they can live on their own.

How will it work? The government will provide a £1,500 loan to those young people to help them move out; it will be £2,000 for those living in London.

You have to be between 18 and 30 to qualify and be ineligible for social housing. The loan will be repayable over 12 or 24 months, the justice minister says.

BBC Radio 5 Live

On Radio 5 Live this morning: Your Call from 9am.

It's the first of four special Your Calls in the run-up to polling day on 7 May. We'll have senior representatives of UKIP, Labour and the Lib Dems in the weeks ahead. This morning it's your chance to talk directly to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who is on for an hour to answer questions on all his party's policies ahead of #GE2015, external

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BBC Radio 4 Today

Leszek Borysiewicz, vice-chancellor of the University of Cambridge, says the UK must be open to the best talent in the wherever it is in the world.

“We are in an international competition for a limited amount of talent… so that their discoveries… can continue to develop the prosperity of this country and this region,” Professor Borysiewicz says.

What is important is the perception of the UK, he says - and he worries that the UK is beginning to be seen as unwelcoming in countries around the world.

He says, given the choice, many people would rather go to the United States than the UK now because of some of the political rhetoric on immigration.

BBC Radio 4 Today

Mr Agnew says UKIP would have an Australian points-based system for immigration and set up a commission to determine what skills are needed. That said, the east of England has a large farming industry that is heavily reliant on unskilled labour - which often comes from eastern Europe.

Mr Agnew admits the farming industry relies on migrants. He says no-one currently here and working in such industries will be sent back - and he says UKIP would provide a temporary work visa system.

He says UKIP doesn’t want to ban immigration, just control it. We know in the summer time we need a lot of unskilled labour to pick fruit, he adds.

BBC Radio 4 Today

The Today programme, as mentioned, is exploring constituencies around the country and part of the programme is coming today from Cambridge, where Mishal Husain is looking at some of the local issues voters are concerned about. One of those issues is immigration. The east of England has seen the largest influx of immigrants of any England region.

Stuart Agnew, UKIP’s MEP for the east of England, tells the Today programme the reason for the increase in support for UKIP in the area has been because of genuine, legitimate concern about the number of people coming into the region

He says:

Image source, YouGov

YouGov's analysis suggest three things of significance. One: the SNP are poised to pick up as many as 55 seats in Scotland.

Two: the Liberal Democrats stand to retain around half their seats at 28. And three: the Conservatives are forecast to gain 264 seats compared to Labour's 277.

Nominations have now closed for the 2015 general election on 7 May.

You can find a complete list of constituencies and candidates here .

Image source, PA

Radio 4's Today programme is visiting constituencies across the UK as part of its general election coverage. Today, Mishal Husain visits the constituencies of Cambridge,Norfolk Mid and South West Norfolk - and finds out what asparagus has to do with immigration.

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