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. Beth Rigby, FT's deputy political editorpublished at 12:03 British Summer Time 14 April 2015

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    Great question from @BBCAllegra £12bn of welfare cuts? How can you be so open about the nice stuff and not about the nasty stuff? #GE2015

  2. David Maddox, Political journalist for The Scotsmanpublished at 12:03 British Summer Time 14 April 2015

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    Tories to legislate that nobody on minimum wage pays income tax. Big rabbit to pull out of hat outflanks Labour and Lib Dems #GE2015

  3. Wooing UKIP voterspublished at 12:03

    UKIP supportersImage source, Reuters

    How about UKIP? This election, David Cameron says, is a “choice” between a Conservative government and the “old Labour ways”. He concedes that there might be “things that have bothered you over the last five years” but Britain is “heading in the right direction” and that the “good life” - that phrase again - is within reach. Echoing his earlier appeal to UKIP voters to “come home” to the Tories, Mr Cameron adds:

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    “We’ve listened and we’re taking action to control immigration. We’re going to have that in-out referendum because it’s time the British people had their choice… but what we’re now saying is who do you trust to run the economy? I’m saying stick with the team that’s delivering for Britain.”

    David Cameron

  4. Analysis: Green Party manifestopublished at 12:01

    Laura Kuenssberg
    Newsnight Chief Correspondent

    Green Party launchImage source, AFP

    As if the parties didn't already suffer from assumptions about who they represent, the Greens held their manifesto launch in a hip East London theatre this morning - all bare wooden boards, charming staff and flat whites, local brewed beer and bio dynamic wine in the cafe. What they do not suffer from is boldness. Their manifesto is full of big promises - a pension of more than three hundred pounds a week for a couple; renewable energy taking over from fossil fuels; a million new public sector jobs. What they do suffer from is a difficulty to defend their numbers robustly. They claim they'll raise a massive £30 billion extra from clampdowns on tax avoidance for example - very very optimistic. And the man who wrote the manifesto numbers, Brian Heatley, has told me they can't really be sure how much their new wealth tax would work because it hasn't been tried before. In a sense, refreshingly candid. In another way, extremely problematic for a party that wants to be taken seriously on a tax that they need to raise £20 billion. The Greens also say in their manifesto they would carry on spending more each year than the government gets from revenue. Does that mean deficits for ever? The Greens won't say. In other news, Natalie Bennett has also told Newsnight they don't want to ban the Grand National after all. More straightforward to decide that than work out government spending.

    In addition to the ideas the Greens talked about on their wealth tax, they say they would adjust their planned-for cuts to employers’ national insurance contributions if they didn't raise as much from the Wealth Tax as they hoped.

  5. Andrew Osborn, Deputy UK Bureau Chief for Reuterspublished at 11:58 British Summer Time 14 April 2015

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    UK's Cameron changes campaign gear at manifesto launch, emphasises the positive, tries to sell hope instead of past doom-mongering #GE2015

  6. Gary Bainbridge, columnistpublished at 11:58 British Summer Time 14 April 2015

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    For younger viewers, The Good Life was a show where a rich couple lived next door to a couple who didn't have any money.

  7. eBay submarinespublished at 11:57

    Is Ed Miliband going to be a threat to national security? David Cameron doesn’t shy away from the invitation to attack Labour on the nuclear deterrent. “You cannot take risks with this,” he says. You need four nuclear submarines for a credible deterrent, not three, and he claims Labour haven't committed to that. What do you do when one of them needs servicing - “buy one on eBay?” He says Labour doesn’t always do what’s needed to help the security services keep Britain safe.

  8. Steve Richards, The Independentpublished at 11:55 British Summer Time 14 April 2015

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    What to believe- The spending plans outlined in Autumn Statement /Budget or those pledged generously in Conservatives' election campaign?

  9. Missing £8bnpublished at 11:55

    David Cameron visiting a hospitalImage source, Reuters

    What about that £8bn funding gap? David Cameron insists the “fiscal plan” covers everything that’s in the manifesto. “We’re saying that balanced plan continues in the next parliament,” he says. There’ll be an extra £8bn spent on the NHS by 2020, he says. But that might be misinterpreting the question, which sounded to us like it was about the £8bn of unspecified spending on welfare cuts that Theresa May avoided talking about earlier today.

  10. Cameron the punditpublished at 11:52

    David Cameron offers his take on the big political narrative of this election. He says Labour has produced a “thin manifesto”- and he predicts the SNP will “produce a more detailed list which they will try and force on a Labour government”. Stopping the “horror” of this requires a Conservative vote, he says.

  11. Paul Brand, Political Correspondent for ITVpublished at 11:51 British Summer Time 14 April 2015

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    Tories already pinging out press releases about that surprise announcement on 30 hours of free child care. #ConservativeManifesto

  12. 'Bounced cheque'published at 11:51

    Ed MilibandImage source, AP
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    Today they are trying to claim that they can fund right-to-buy with a bounced cheque. The reality about the Conservatives is that they are the party not of working people, from first to last and always, they are the party of the richest in our society and that is absolutely the case with what they are saying today. We support people’s right to buy their own homes, but their offer on right-to-buy won’t work because they haven’t found the money to fund it or build homes... just like with health, just like with the tax cuts they are promising, so on the right to buy, they have absolutely no idea how where a penny of this money is coming from."

    Ed Miliband, Labour leader

  13. Deathbed politicspublished at 11:48

    David Cameron gets a round of applause as he points out the Labour Party, which is trumpeting itself as the party of financial responsibility, has spent the last five years attacking the Conservatives' tough decisions. "That's why the deathbed conversion is so unconvincing in every single way," Mr Cameron says.

  14. Jenny Gross, Reporter for The Wall Street Journalpublished at 11:46 British Summer Time 14 April 2015

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    British PM David Cameron, at manifesto launch, seems to tell voters: you've suffered through budget cuts, but now you'll get the benefits

  15. The Good Lifepublished at 11:46

    The Good Life

    Time for questions, now. Is the "Good life" a return to the "Sunny Dave" of his early years? He dodges an invitation to clarify whether he's the Tom and Barbara of British politics, or the Margot and Jerry? Samantha Cameron will have to tell him later, he says.

  16. The punchlinepublished at 11:45

    And now David Cameron wraps up his speech, arms outstretched as he declares: "Let us not go back to square one. Let us finish what we've begun."

  17. Guido Fawkespublished at 11:43 British Summer Time 14 April 2015

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    "the party of no income tax"... hmmm

  18. 'Five more years'published at 11:44

    David Cameron says: "It means we can proudly say this is the party of working people. Not just the party of low income tax, but us, the party of no income tax!" It's an offer of "strong leadership", an economic plan and "a brighter, more secure future". The phrase 'long-term economic plan' isn't front and centre, is it?

    And now here comes another quiet moment towards the end of his speech. He says he's standing on the stage asking for five more years to "finish the job". Five more years, he says, will lead to "security at every stage of your life".

  19. Pic: No feats of memorypublished at 11:42

    David Cameron's autocueImage source, Reuters
  20. Ian Dunt, Editor of Politics.co.ukpublished at 11:40 British Summer Time 14 April 2015

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    Despite all the flaws this really is much better from the Tories: It's positive, at the very least. Childcare promise v.good.