Image source, European Photopress Agency

Here’s a bit more on the Lib Dem manifesto. The big number Nick Clegg and Education Minister David Laws will be highlighting today is the extra £2.5bn of funding they’re promising for two- to 19-year-olds by 2020. This will put a qualified teacher in every classroom, they say - about 3% are currently not qualified - as well as help schools offer more one-on-one tuition. Early years education will be expanded too.

But the real significance is that, because the total number of schoolchildren is set to increase over the next five years, all the Lib Dems are really doing is protecting current "per pupil funding" levels. Still, they think that will be enough to win them some votes. Freezing the education budget will result in a £2.5bn cut, they’ll say. Read our full story here.

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Nigel Farage dismissed the party's 2010 manifesto as drivel. This time round, he has personally signed off every element. At its heart will be a pledge to leave the EU, spend billions more on the NHS and - of course - bring in much tougher immigration controls. But UKIP has also decided that there are votes in defence.

Eyeing Tory fractures over the failure to commit to spending more on the armed forces Mr Farage has decided to unveil a raft of measures aimed at veterans and those who feel the Conservatives have veered away from a very traditional issue. There will be a promise to spend 2% of the UKs GDP on defence and guaranteed jobs for ex-servicemen and women.

Make no mistake, this is the most important document in Nigel Farage's political life, because it represents a moment when UKIP is on the brink - of either breaking through, or of massively disappointing. But to the ones who are thoroughly committed already it will be an irrelevance. Those supporters don't like the party because of its broad range of policies - they like it primarily because of the leader, whose photo will feature on or very close to the manifesto's front page.

Image source, Getty Images

There’s another manifesto out today, too. Not content with their plan to change Britain that we got on Monday, Labour is launching its women’s manifesto later. At its heart is the claim that 50% of the population are being hit by “85% of the pain” of the coalition’s spending cuts. It argues women face real problems in 2015: sex discrimination case numbers are down by 80%, childcare cuts are making the work-life balance harder and rape and domestic violence cases reported by the police are up. “It is clear the Tories plan is failing women and failing working families,” shadow minister for women and equalities Gloria de Piero says. Labour has already made a big impact in the run-up to this campaign with the controversial pink bus, pictured with Harriet Harman above.

Image source, Reuters

Sharing the headlines today is the UK Independence Party. UKIP will be trying to improve on their 2010 manifesto, described by Nigel Farage as “drivel”, when they launch their 2015 document later. This time round the British public are being offered a “serious” set of policies which Mr Farage promises are “fully costed”. He says the manifesto on offer is for people who “believe in Britain”. More here.

Image source, PA

The Lib Dem manifesto is being launched later today and the big slogan is all about "opportunity" - but it’s the focus on education which is most eye-catching. Despite having a rather controversial record on higher education funding in the last parliament, the coalition’s junior party is pitching itself as the “party of education” this time round. Here’s what Nick Clegg has to say ahead of the launch:

Hello again, Victoria King and Alex Stevenson here, your Politics Live team. We hope you haven't got manifesto fatigue yet, because there are more coming today. We promise to enthusiastically bring you every bit of the action - after a coffee or two...