Summary

  • Labour launches its manifesto, vowing to be the party of economic responsibility

  • Ed Miliband promises every policy will be fully funded and require no "additional borrowing"

  • The Conservatives are to announce that they would extend the 'Right-to-buy' to 1.3 million housing association tenants

  • Nick Clegg says the Lib Dems will not have another coalition with the Tories if they insist on £12bn welfare cuts

  • The Lib Dems launch a "five point plan" aimed at consumers and commuters

  • There are 24 days left until the general election

  1. #VictoriaLIVE trending on Twitterpublished at 10:01

    Text: 61124 / Tweet #VictoriaLIVE

    Victoria Derbyshire

    @greenpesto1 tweets:, external

    Quote Message

    #VictoriaLIVE I've never had money working for other people. Mostly self-employed for 30yrs. Different jobs. YOU MAKE YOUR OWN LUCK!

    @julijuxtaposed tweets:, external

    Quote Message

    I'm sick of being told that I'm somehow jealous of another's wealth. I couldn't give a crap, #victoriaLIVE. I want justice, not your things

  2. Sausage roll allegationspublished at 09:59

    UKIP candidate Kim Rose

    Jessica Parker, BBC Radio Solent political reporter, says UKIP's Southampton Itchen candidate Kim Rose has turned up for police questioning over allegations he tried to influence voters by giving away sausage rolls at a party event. Mr Rose says he'll offer no comment to police though he continues to deny the accusation. He says adults were charged £2 per head for the campaign event, featuring snooker star Jimmy White, in February.

  3. 'Politics of envy'published at 09:57

    Victoria Derbyshire

    Audience member Daniel, a sixth form student with a zero-hours contract - which he says "absolutely" works for him - accuses Labour and the SNP of following the "politics of coercion and politics of envy".

    SNP Treasury spokesman Stewart Hosie says he supports people keeping most of their own money and only favours raising the top rate of tax. "That's not the politics of envy - that's just common sense," he claims.

    Labour's Toby Perkins says that "many, many people who are very successful would reject" the allegation, adding that "we all rely" on public services.

  4. 'Nobody wanted to make cuts'published at 09:52

    Victoria Derbyshire

    Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Lord Newby claims that "nobody wanted to make any kind of cuts in 2010". However, there was "no money left", he argues.

    Lord Newby
  5. Get involved - Victoria Derbyshirepublished at 09:51 British Summer Time 13 April 2015

    Text: 61124 / Tweet #VictoriaLIVE

    Victoria Derbyshire

    @jamesdavidhere tweets:, external

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    The Lord on #VictoriaDerbyshire says he can empathise but is unable to mutter the words "Yes, we are sorry" for the cuts hitting the poorest

  6. Scotland todaypublished at 09:51

    Willie Rennie, Nicola Sturgeon, Jim Murphy and Ruth DavidsonImage source, Getty

    The economy dominates the debate in Scotland this morning. Nicola Sturgeon will be in Glasgow to outline how the SNP say they'll help Scottish businesses. But as she does so, her plans for full fiscal autonomy will come under further attack, with Labour leader Jim Murphy to tell an audience in Glenrothes the move would mean a reduction in public spending of £1,400 per head. Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie will join Business Minister and East Dunbartonshire candidate Jo Swinson to argue that only their party can take on the SNP in Scotland's 11 Liberal Democrat seats. And finally, the Conservatives will be campaigning in Edinburgh with leader Ruth Davidson claiming her party best represents the majority view in Scotland on key policy issues. Read more.

  7. 'Are you sorry?'published at 09:36

    Victoria Derbyshire

    Heated debate on the economy on the Victoria Derbyshire programme as Conservative Business Minister Matthew Hancock and the Lib Dems' Lord Newby are challenged on the fact that many of the country's poorest are worse off than five years ago. Neither uses the "S word" in reply, but refer several times to the "difficult decisions" that had to be made.

  8. Consumer champion?published at 09:42

    Nick CleggImage source, PA

    Nick Clegg - pictured here on Sunday - has arrived in Maidstone, in Kent, his first stop of the day. He'll no doubt be championing his plans to help out commuters and consumers. That'll include no above-inflation rail ticket price rises and making it much quicker to switch energy suppliers.

    Remember, Labour has said it will cap energy bills for 20 months from this summer until 2017 so they cannot rise. The Conservatives, meanwhile, have said they will ensure regulated rail fares rise by no more than inflation until 2020.

  9. Late addition?published at 09:38

    Allegra Stratton
    Newsnight Political Editor

    The story this morning is about Labour's fiscal charter. The first page of the manifesto is devoted to how Labour will get the deficit down. I am told that this only went into the document as late as last Thursday night. Labour won't confirm or deny this.

    My sources say Labour looked at last week's Tory pledge on the NHS, which they think is unfunded (they have a case) and decided there is scope for whittling away at Tory economic credibility.

    Interesting that something that today seems such a major part of their launch was crystallised so late in the day.

    Read more from Allegra.

  10. James Clayton, political producer for BBC Newsnightpublished at 09:36 British Summer Time 13 April 2015

    @JamesClayton5

    tweets:, external

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    @ChukaUmunna and co at Manchester Piccadilly in what can only be described as 'good spirits' #labour #GE2015

    Labour politicians
  11. Faslane protestpublished at 09:26

    Faslane protestersImage source, EPA

    The SNP says its commitment to scrapping Trident is an election red line. At the home of Trident, the Faslane naval base, this morning an estimated 200 anti-nuclear activists are taking part in a blockade.

    Organisers the Scrap Trident Coalition say they have blocked all entrances to the base, as part of a series of events to focus on nuclear weapons ahead of the general election.

    Over the weekend leading figures in music, the arts and science, including Nobel prize winner Professor Peter Higgs, comedian Frankie Boyle and Mercury Prize-winning band Young Fathers, called for the nuclear deterrent to be scrapped in aletter to the Observer., external

  12. Reading the small printpublished at 09:24

    Nick Robinson

    Here's our own political editor Nick Robinson, working on a full return to your screens. Until then, he's blogging and promising to read the party manifestos on your behalf - a brave man indeed!

  13. Live: Economy debatepublished at 09:16

    Victoria Derbyshire

    Are you feeling better or worse off? Victoria Derbyshire is in Newcastle for a special debate on the state of the economy, with voters and politicians. You can watch live now on BBC Two, the BBC News Channel or online here.

  14. 'Discipline will crack'published at 09:15

    BBC News Channel

    James Forsyth

    Discussing the Conservatives' campaign, James Forsyth, from the Spectator, tells Election Today the party needs to get momentum back or "party discipline will start to crack".

    He thinks that if "a cacophany of voices" start questioning David Cameron's leadership, it will be difficult for the Tories to get their message across.

    Rosamund Urwin, from the London Evening Standard, agrees that David Cameron needs something to broaden the debate. "He needs something new. Just repeatedly saying, 'We'll protect the economy, Labour wont.' It just feels a very, very limited message." The Big Society might have fallen flat in the end, but he needs something a bit like that to change the game a bit, she adds.

  15. Nick Robinson, BBC's political editorpublished at 09:09 British Summer Time 13 April 2015

    @bbcnickrobinson

    tweets:, external

    Quote Message

    What a terrible idea! RT @shaun68ozy: any chance you, J Humphrys, J Paxman, J Naughty and R Peston could form your own party & save us all?

  16. Robin Brant, BBC UKIP campaign correspondentpublished at 09:08 British Summer Time 13 April 2015

    @robindbrant

    tweets:, external

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    A reminder of what @DouglasCarswell is looking to repeat, and @GilesWatling et al are looking to prevent #ge2015

    Clacton by-election results
  17. Get involvedpublished at 09:06

    Email: politics@bbc.co.uk

    Gary Moss, Dudley reacts to Fraser Nelson's blog for The Spectator (08:52 AM):

    Fraser Nelson fails to point out that David Cameron has on several occasions been told off by the Parliamentary Ombudsman and the Office of Budget Responsibility for making reference to "the debt is falling" in speeches when in actual fact it has risen from £800bn in 2010 to £1.45tn today. I don't agree with everything Ed Balls say, but people in glass houses should not throw stones at Labour.

  18. Gordon Marsden, Labour candidatepublished at 09:04

    @GordonMarsden

    tweets:, external

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    Cameron's Conservative Dream just that. Set of uncosted overnight fantasies dreamt up at panicked Tory HQ. His image as PM shredded as result"

  19. Brandon Lewis, Conservative candidatepublished at 09:03

    @BrandonLewis

    tweets:, external

    Quote Message

    Ed Balls this morning refused to guarantee no above-inflation duty hikes under Labour. He was evasive all over the morning news broadcasts."

  20. YouGov on SNP and Lib Demspublished at 09:00

    BBC News Channel

    Joe Twyman

    Joe Twyman, from pollsters YouGov, says the SNP have been polling at 45% in Scotland - "the highest we've recorded them at".

    Meanwhile, the Lib Dems - long-term supporters of proportional representation and currently polling at 7% across the UK according to YouGov - might in effect achieve PR for themselves.

    He says they "work hard at a local level" and many incumbents might retain their seats.

    He predicts 20-30 seats for the Lib Dems.