Summary

  • The Liberal Democrat Party launched its manifesto, pledging an extra £2.5bn for England's education budget

  • UKIP launched its manifesto, which included a commitment to protect the defence budget

  • Labour also published what it called its women's manifesto

  • There are 22 days left until polling day

  1. Ned Simons, Assistant political editor, The Huffington Post UKpublished at 10:28 British Summer Time 15 April 2015

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    One problem for Lib Dems is being the 'brain' to a Labour government is probably an even tougher place to be than the 'heart' to a Tory one.

  2. Tough talkpublished at 10:28

    Nick Clegg

    There's rather a different tone to this speech than the one offered by David Cameron yesterday. Nick Clegg is painting hypothetical scenarios of what it would feel like to see Alex Salmond in No 10 and offering voters a big-picture choice about who forms the next government. "Every vote for the Liberal Democrats matters," he insists. "Only the Liberal Democrats can make sure the next government keeps Britain on track."

  3. Paul Waugh, Editor PoliticsHome.compublished at 10:26 British Summer Time 15 April 2015

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    Clegg doing this without notes. Sources say watch for his words on what the party will do in coalition.

  4. Heart, brain, knees and toespublished at 10:26

    And now Nick Clegg says "we made Britain fairer" - we detect a theme here. The Lib Dem leader, having run through a list of the coalition's achievements, moves on to the likelihood of another hung parliament. "Someone is going to hold the balance of power on the 8th of May and it won't be David Cameron or Ed Miliband. But it could be Nigel Farage. It could be Alex Salmond. Or it could be me and the Liberal Democrats." What do voters want, Mr Clegg asks? Then he delivers a line which prompts applause and cheers:

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    The Liberal Democrats will add a heart to the Conservative government and a brain to a Labour one."

  5. PoliticsHomepublished at 10:23 British Summer Time 15 April 2015

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    Ed Miliband confirms he will be hit by Labour's mansion tax, with his home in the "£2m to £3m band". #womanshour

  6. 'Gutsy'published at 10:22

    Nick Clegg

    Nick Clegg then paints an alternative scenario for 2010 in which the Lib Dems chose to take "the easy way out" and keep clear of government. He could then have criticised the Tories, he says, but instead the Lib Dems did the "responsible thing, the fair thing, the gutsy thing". He accepts the decision was made despite the knowledge that his party would lose popularity as a result.

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    "Every day has been worth it because we made Britain better."

  7. Clegg begins manifesto launchpublished at 10:21

    Nick Clegg is on stage, launching the Liberal Democrat manifesto in Battersea. He begins his speech by saying that five years ago voters made a decision that changed Britain. "You chose to make politicians work together in the national interest. And do you know what? It worked!"

  8. Word of the daypublished at 10:20

    BBC Radio 4

    ‘Stonking’ is probably the political word of the day so far, as used by Ed Miliband on Woman’s Hour. He was asked how he can balance the books while doing so fairly. How does that work? “You make those with the broadest shoulders pay,” he explained. And that includes reversing “the huge stonking tax cut David Cameron gave to the richest in society”.

  9. James Forsyth, Spectatorpublished at 10:19 British Summer Time 15 April 2015

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    No one can accuse Lib Dems of hiding Clegg away, launch full of glossy pictures of him

  10. Isabel Hardman, Assistant editor, The Spectatorpublished at 10:17 British Summer Time 15 April 2015

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    Before Funkee Partymaster General (Clegg) appears on stage, some thoughts on his manifesto strategy

  11. Jason Beattie, Daily Mirror political editorpublished at 10:17 British Summer Time 15 April 2015

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    Lib Dem manifesto is being held in a "creative space", appropriately. #GE2015

  12. Pic: Lib Dem president Sal Brinton begins manifesto launchpublished at 10:17

    Sal Brinton
  13. No spraying, pleasepublished at 10:15

    BBC Radio 4

    Labour womenImage source, Getty Images

    Ed Miliband isn’t equivocating when it comes to his party’s own spending plans. “I’ve made a decision in this campaign - I’m not going to spray around false promises without knowing where the money is coming from,” he tells Woman’s Hour. “Every penny I promise is a promise that’s paid for.” Isn’t that problematic when it comes to the NHS, though? There certainly won’t be another top-down reorganisation, he promises.

  14. Jack Blanchard, Deputy Political Editor, Daily Mirrorpublished at 10:11 British Summer Time 15 April 2015

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    Ed Miliband on Labour's women's bus. "I love the pink bus. I LOVE the pink bus. I'm aspiring to go on it."

  15. Patrick Kidd, editor of the Times diary columnpublished at 10:11 British Summer Time 15 April 2015

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    Ed Miliband refuses to say on @BBCWomansHour if Harriet Harman will be deputy prime minister shd he win election. "Not measuring curtains"

  16. Pink politicspublished at 10:10

    BBC Radio 4

    Labour pink busImage source, Getty Images

    “I love the pink bus,” Ed Miliband declares on Woman’s Hour. “It provoked a conversation, and the kind of conversation that Woman’s Hour provokes about women’s lives. And that often the issues that women are facing are not central enough to our politicians.” Labour is launching its women's manifesto today, so the party leader is doing his bit to emphasise there is "still huge progress to make to turn that theoretical equality in the law into equality in practice".

  17. Patrick Wintour, Political editor of the Guardianpublished at 10:06 British Summer Time 15 April 2015

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    Reading 157 pages of David Laws dense policy in Lib Dem manifesto to a background of loud launch funk music at 10 am done my head. Totally.

  18. North of the borderpublished at 10:03

    SNP campaignersImage source, PA

    Here’s a rundown of the day’s campaigning highlights in Scotland:

    • Chancellor George Osborne is in Aberdeenshire to point out the Conservatives’ track record on defending Britain’s North Sea oil industry
    • First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will set out the “benefits of an SNP alternative to austerity”, with social justice expected to be high on the agenda in Kirkcaldy
    • Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy is off to Glasgow where he’ll return the nationalists’ fire, claiming the SNP’s plan “is the equivalent of turning to Wonga to pay off credit card debt”
    • The Scottish Socialist Party launches its manifesto, entitled Standing Up For Scotland's Working Class Majority, in Edinburgh
  19. John Rentoul, Columnist, Independent on Sundaypublished at 09:55 British Summer Time 15 April 2015

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    I must be the only member of the Westminster bubbelati who agrees with the Tory right-to-buy social housing policy.

  20. Jason Beattie, DailyMirror political editorpublished at 09:53 British Summer Time 15 April 2015

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    Like the idea Lib Dem manifesto has two blank pages of notes at the back. Space for ideas they might add during Coalition trading? #GE2015