Summary

  • The Conservatives launch their manifesto, with David Cameron declaring “we are the party of working people”

  • They promise an extension of the right-to-buy scheme and 30 hours free childcare a week

  • The Green Party’s manifesto launch calls for action against climate change

  • It also promises steps to “restore and extend our public services”

  • There are 23 days left until polling day

  1. Knives outpublished at 13.49

    World at One

    BBC Radio 4

    "He did stab his brother in the back, that is absolutely clear," says Environment Secretary Liz Truss of Ed Miliband.

    Her comments come after Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said Mr Miliband had "stabbed his own brother in the back" to lead Labour and was now "willing to stab the UK in the back" by doing a deal on Trident with the SNP "to become PM".

    Ms Truss, pressed on Mr Fallon's remarks, said he was "right to highlight the character implications of Ed Miliband in government".

  2. Ianpublished at 13:47 British Summer Time 14 April 2015

    @ian451968

    tweets:, external

    Quote Message

    #David Cameron says we will build affordable homes on brownfield. Maybe build places of work on brownfield as well not just houses.

  3. Pic: Camerons meet voters in Swindonpublished at 13:47

    David and Samantha Cameron meet Nicole Calver and Paul PearsonImage source, Getty
  4. Anne McElvoy, Economist public policy editorpublished at 13:43 British Summer Time 14 April 2015

    @annemcelvoy

    tweets: , external

    Quote Message

    "Im not going to give a running commentary."@trussliz on Worldat1. Trans: "Don't want to answer question and will talk about something else"

  5. Joe Murphy, political editor of the Evening Standardpublished at 13:42

    @JoeMurphyLondon

    Singing star Ronnie Carroll may have died at 80 - but thanks to a quirk of electoral law he'll still appear on the ballot paper in a seat where the majority is just 42. Read more., external

  6. George Eaton, Political Editor, New Statesmanpublished at 13:39 British Summer Time 14 April 2015

    @georgeeaton

    tweets a link to his blog:, external

    Quote Message

    Cameron promises a land of sunshine - but how many will believe him? My take on the Tories' manifesto launch"

  7. Pic: Miliband campaigning in Loughboroughpublished at 13:38

    Ed MilibandImage source, AP
  8. 'Massively successful'published at 13:35

    World at One

    BBC Radio 4

    Liz Truss, Conservative environment secretary, is challenged on the World at One over the Conservatives' right-to-buy housing announcement. She says the party wants to give more people the benefit of home ownership. Right-to-buy has been "a massively successful policy" and we want to extend that to 1.3 million more families, she adds.

    The Conservatives have also promised to fund the NHS in England by £8bn extra a year, which NHS bosses say is needed to sustain the system. Asked where the money will come from, Ms Truss doesn't answer, instead pointing to the government's "track record" of making the necessary reductions in government spending to invest in the health service.

    "We've got the track record, Labour's track record is a letter saying we've got no money left."

  9. 'Tens and tens of billions'published at 13:31

    World at One

    BBC Radio 4

    IFS director Paul Johnson is speaking to BBC Radio 4’s World at One programme about the Conservatives' election manifesto launch.

    He said the prime minister confirmed that the Conservatives are looking for a budget surplus by 2018. To get to that, he adds, they will need “tens and tens of billions of pounds” of spending cuts or tax increases, “but we got no new detail whatever of what those might look like”.

    Quote Message

    That implies something really dramatic... rally big cuts on welfare spending, really big cuts in local government spending, really big cuts in all the other bits of spending which haven't been specifically protected."

  10. Pic: Clegg and Hughes campaign in Southwarkpublished at 13:30

    Simon Hughes and Nick Clegg meet voters in SouthwarkImage source, PA
  11. David Maddox, Political journalist for The Scotsmanpublished at 13:28 British Summer Time 14 April 2015

    @DavidPBMaddox

    tweets: , external

    Quote Message

    So not much for Scotland in Conservative manifesto...noticeably @RuthDavidsonMSP chose a fish farm over being with the PM in Swindon #GE2015

  12. Send your viewspublished at 13:27 British Summer Time 14 April 2015

    Text: 61124

    M. Scott, Newcastle:

    Why not ask these people why they do not refurbish all the council properties standing empty? Surely the cost would be a fraction of cost of new building.

  13. Ask a ministerpublished at 13:26

    BBC News Channel viewers can put questions to Liberal Democrat Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander later. He'll be live in the studio with Huw Edwards at 17:30 BST, when the presenter will be getting answers about Lib Dem policies on behalf of viewers.

    You can tweet questions to #BBCAskThis, or email video questions to YourPics@bbc.co.uk .

  14. Tim Sculthorpe, Press Association parliamentary editorpublished at 13:23 British Summer Time 14 April 2015

    @timschulthorpe

    tweets, external : Very roughly - the Tory manifesto is around 31,000 words, the Labour manifesto about 20,000 words. This is a pretty useless fact.

  15. Political 'cross-dressing'published at 13.17

    Nick Robinson
    Political editor

    David Cameron launches the Conservative Party manifestoImage source, PA

    This week of political cross-dressing goes on.

    David Cameron tried to re-brand the Conservatives as the party of working people - the day after Ed Miliband claimed that Labour was the party of economic responsibility.

    It is not just the language that has changed, it is the tone.

    Read more from Nick.

  16. 'Aping UKIP'published at 13:14

    Nigel FarageImage source, PA

    Nigel Farage, who’s been out and about in Kent today, says the right-to-buy initiative won’t do anything at all to guarantee homes go to British people. He says the Conservative manifesto as a whole was a “re-hash of so much of what was said in 2010” – and voices concern that there was “no commitment to Britain’s defence whatsoever”.

    Quote Message

    There are a lot of policies here that are long-term UKIP policies and they are trying to ape UKIP. But let’s remember that commitment to reduce immigration to tens of thousands is still there - they failed, the commitment to up the thresholds on inheritance tax are still there and haven’t been delivered on. This is so much of the same that people have seen before, that I’m not frankly sure people will believe it."

    Nigel Farage, UKIP leader

  17. Iain Watson, Labour campaign correspondentpublished at 13:13 British Summer Time 14 April 2015

    ‏@iainjwatson

    tweets, external: looks like @ed_miliband, external will be literally drummed out of Leicester at end of ethnic minority manifesto launch

    Drummers at Labour's ethnic minority manifesto launch
  18. Socialist dreamspublished at 13:02

    Leanne Wood

    Leanne Wood doesn’t shy away from her very left-leaning brand of nationalism, declaring that a Welsh socialist republic would be “fantastic”. She admits on the Daily Politics there’s a long way to go, though, and says it’s hard to contest an election when she hasn’t got the chance of becoming prime minister. Ms Wood says she’s hoping to lead a party with five MPs after the general election – that would count as a success because it would be Plaid’s best-ever haul. It would be a net increase of two from their 2010 performance.

  19. Inflation viewspublished at 12:58

    Inflation graph

    Here are two rather contrasting takes from the Conservatives and Labour on today’s inflation figures, which remained at the record low of 0% in March:

    Quote Message

    “Today our plan for working people gets another boost, with good news for family budgets. For the second month in a row, inflation is at zero. Thanks to our long-term economic plan, Britain's economy is getting stronger: jobs are up, the deficit is down, the economy is growing, and inflation is at record lows. We are the party for working people offering you security at every stage of your life.”

    George Osborne, Chancellor

    Quote Message

    "A few months of falling world oil prices won’t solve the deep-seated problems in our economy or make up for years of bills rising faster than wages. Wages continue to be sluggish and are down £1,600 a year on average under this government. And tax and benefit changes since 2010 have left families £1,100 a year worse off on average. Labour’s better plan will build a more productive economy that will earn our way to higher living standards for all. While the Tories will end up raising VAT again to make their sums add up, Labour's plan will back working families."

    Chris Leslie, shadow chief secretary to the Treasury

  20. Have your saypublished at 12:50

    Email politics@bbc.co.uk

    BBC News website readers react to Conservative plans to extend the right-to-buy scheme for housing association tenants.

    Maxine Barton emails: How is this fair? Having had subsidised rent now the property can be bought with up to 70% discount! What about young people who can't get a local authority property and have to seek out private rentals? What help will they get to buy their own property?

    Kirsty Mardlin in Hertfordshire writes: I can't believe with the existing affordable housing crisis that a Tory government want to sell off the few houses left by opening up the right to buy to housing associations tenants. How about helping those of us trapped paying three times more than those in social housing in the private rent sector by providing us a 35% deposit on our houses. We will be forced to move out of our area and further north soon as rent prices are rocketing.

    Babs Taylor emails: Surely if they can afford an expensive property within the social housing stock, these persons can afford to live in either private housing sector or take advantage of other schemes such as shared ownership. There are houses purchased not for occupants but for the greedy. Should social housing not focus on the needy?

    Christine Holland writes: Right to buy will have long term, detrimental effects and costs for the country. They are buying votes. My daughter can't afford a home, why on earth should my taxes help someone already in a home to buy one?

    Rose Knight emails: If the Conservatives win the election, I would probably have to move out of the council property I live in as it's worth quite a lot. I am financially unable to purchase my home so what do I benefit from this? Having to moving into a smaller property!! Doesn't make sense. It's all about robbing Peter to pay Paul!