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

Live Reporting

Bernadette McCague, Dominic Howell and Marie Jackson

  1. 'Un-nervous'

    Daily Politics
    Live on BBC Two

    Danny Finkelstein

    The Conservative tone in this campaign - which has been not entirely friendly towards Labour and Ed Miliband in particular - has changed this week with a brighter offer to voters, Jo Coburn suggests on the Daily Politics. “I think the question over the Conservative campaign is whether it’s too relentless,” Times columnist and Tory peer Danny Finkelstein says. “I’ve been how impressed by how un-nervous they’ve been.” Conservative campaign strategists have a grid in place and are sticking to the plan, he thinks - even if there isn’t much movement in the polls.

  2. 'Not part of the package'

    Ed and Justine MilibandGetty

    Speaking to Woman's Hour earlier, Ed Miliband denied using his wife as a campaign tool. "Justine has been doing her own campaigning," he said. "She's not part of the package, she's her own person. This is about her and what she wants to do as part of this election."

  3. 'Back channels'

    Suzanne Evans and Nigel FaragePA

    The questions about UKIP opening up “back channels” with the Conservatives appeared in this morning’s Telegraph, which reported that Nigel Farage would look to discuss a post-election pact with the Tories a week before election day. While the UKIP leader denied that formal talks would take place, he certainly left the door open to informal contact. Labour’s Jon Trickett responds:

    "UKIP are a party of Tory people and Tory money and the parties have a shared policy agenda. Together, Tories and UKIP would increase NHS privatisation, give millionaires another tax cut and make extreme and risky spending cuts. Neither than claim to stand for working people. After weeks of overtures to each other's voters, it's now time both parties came clear on what the terms of their deal will be so hardworking families know for themselves what they're planning."

    Jon Trickett, shadow minister without portfolio

  4. Beth Rigby, FT's deputy political editor

    @BethRigby

    tweets:

    Happened today, happened yesterday with Labour - audience hostility to journalists. Is it not right journos ask tough questions? #ukip

  5. Chris

    @Chris72600702

    tweets:

    So basically the only policy #UKIP has that would directly effect Scotland is to scrap the Barnett formula, everything else was English only

  6. 'Broadening appeal'

    Alex Forsyth, BBC UKIP campaign correspondent

    BBC News Channel

    Despite the fact this is a very policy-rich manifesto, the questions and the rhetoric kept coming back to the core issues - immigration and of course the withdrawal from the EU, which Nigel Farage said was the single most important point of any negotiations they may hold. This was UKIP trying to broaden its appeal, trying to take itself seriously."

  7. Media Guido

    @MediaGuido

    tweets:

    Weird UKIP press conference where journalists asking critical questions are shouted down by audience, encouraged by party.

  8. Michael Deacon, Political sketch writer, Telegraph

    @MichaelPDeacon

    tweets:

    Andy Bell from 5 News asks Farage whether he'd block people with HIV from entering the UK. A UKIP member shouts: "Disgusting question!"

  9. HIV controversy

    Groans in the audience, now, from UKIP supporters as a journalist asks about Nigel Farage’s HIV comments in last week’s TV debates. It's striking the comparison with the Labour launch on Monday in which Ed Miliband told his audience to not to boo or jeer the journalists in the room.

    On HIV, “Do I stand by that? You bet your life I stand by that,” Mr Farage says. “I thought the comments of the Education Secretary Nicky Morgan particularly appropriate.” She said he was “stomach-churning”. His response? “I find it stomach-churning that we refuse people in their 80s drugs for prostate treatment when we’re prepared to spend £1bn a year on health tourists from around the world… and I’m confident the vast majority of people agree with me.”

  10. James Kirkup, Politics @ Telegraph Media Group

    @jameskirkup

    tweets:

    Dear Ukip: @christopherhope asked a question. He's a journalist. That's his job. Your treatment of him is shameful and undemocratic.

  11. Defining 'feelers'

    And now a bit of a U-turn from Nigel Farage, who says in response to a question from Newsnight’s Laura Kuenssberg that actually, yes, he does have chit-chats with people from other parties. The difference, he says, is that what he’s doing isn't formal.

    If I meet people in a social environment I'm a very gregarious cove."

  12. Guido Fawkes

    @GuidoFawkes

    tweets:

    Rather than tell their supporters to stop booing journalists, Farage aides led chorus of boos

  13. Tom Bradby, Political Editor, ITV News

    @tombradby

    tweets:

    UKIP press conference appeared to be going quite well until @christopherhope got aggressively heckled.

  14. Journalist jeered

    UKIP supporters

    There are rather bizarre scenes now, as Telegraph journalist Chris Hope is booed and jeered for asking a question about there only being one black face in the manifesto. Extraordinary scene, in fact. Nigel Farage joins in the applause as the audience, largely made up of UKIP supporters, turns against a journalist.

  15. Referendum policy

    UKIP launch

    In response to a question from the BBC's James Landale, Nigel Farage says UKIP is "unrecognisable" from where it was five years ago. The same goes for the quality of the manifesto. He says he's "read, absorbed and understood" it. Well, that's reassuring. In answer to James' question about which policy is most important in potential talks: "It is without doubt that the people of this country have a full, free and fair referendum on the membership of the European Union, not a pro-EU government-led stitch-up."

  16. Politics Home

    @politicshome

    tweets:

    Paul Nuttall after two #UKIPManifesto questions: "That's one more question than was asked at the Lib Dem launch."

  17. Lorra laughs

    Channel 4's Michael Crick, who has had a brush or two with UKIP in the past, gets the first question. Mr Crick asks the UKIP leader about reports that there are UKIP "feelers" being put out to the Tories and whether he'd like to get rid of David Cameron in the event of working with them.

    "If I was a Conservative I would want to get rid of David Cameron, certainly!" he says. "Next time round they might even choose a chap who's Conservative, it's quite possible." Lots of laughs right now. "Serious business, politics," he beams. He then denies "feelers": "I've no intention of speaking to anybody other than the British public in as large a numbers as I possibly can."

  18. Tim Shipman, Political Editor, The Sunday Times

    @ShippersUnbound

    tweets:

    Suzanne Evans is impressively professional but this is now much too much detail

  19. Cuddling animals, cuddling immigrants

    Suzanne EvansEPA

    Animal welfare - not an area one would automatically link with UKIP - Suzanne Evans outlines a number of policies, including lifetime bans on those who break the rules. She then says: "I think I've already covered rather a lot of ground for a single-issue party." That gets a lot of laughter and a round of applause. She then returns to immigration, saying: "Immigrants are not the problem. It's our current immigration system that's broken."

  20. Immigration and Europe

    Suzanne Evans says tackling immigration is essential towards improving "living standards", before running down a list of UKIP's plans to deal with the party's flagship policy. "I'm proud of our immigration policy. UKIP will not discriminate against non-EU countries, not least our old friends in the Commonwealth." More applause there. The answer, she says, is leaving the European Union. "And that means voting UKIP." The problem with the Tories, she says, is they've broken their promises on a referendum again and again.