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. Isabel Hardman, Assistant editor, The Spectator

    @IsabelHardman

    tweets:

    Suzanne Evans is a really good performer for Ukip. Fluent, calm, reasonable. Also strikes a different tone to Farage.

  2. Even more policies

    Suzanne Evans is continuing to rattle through policies in her party's manifesto:

    • The carers' allowance will be increased
    • UKIP will offer developers grants of up to £10,000 per unit for brownfield sites
    • Advisers will be placed in food banks to give the poorest advice on how to improve their situation
    • UKIP will not join a "race to the bottom on welfare costs"

  3. Jamie Ross, @BuzzFeedUK politics reporter

    @JamieRoss7

    tweets:

    This will upset some people. UKIP will end Westminster's subsidised bars.

  4. Income tax

    Suzanne Evans

    On armed forces, UKIP's plans will remove all soldiers serving overseas from having to pay any income tax at all. That's in addition to the party's policy of removing all those paying the minimum wage from paying income tax (the same as the Conservatives' big pledge from their manifesto launch yesterday).

  5. Grey vote

    Changes to the state pension age can "wreck" people's plans, Suzanne Evans explains. UKIP is proposing giving pensioners the option of taking their pension at a lower rate from the lower age of 65. Benefits for older persons will be maintained at current levels.

    Nigel Farage

  6. Paul Waugh, Editor of PoliticsHome.com

    @paulwaugh

    tweets:

    Smart move by Farage to allow @SuzanneEvans1 to lead large chunk of press conf. Tho will her diffs with Steven Woolfe be issue?

  8. Fighting the election on health

    Some of "the money only UKIP can find", as Suzanne Evans puts it, will go towards improving care services. That will help take the pressure off the NHS. There's a new health pledge in the manifesto, too: a dedicated military hospital. More applause at that. "Britain is the only major country in Europe that no longer has one and it's time that changed," Ms Evans declares.

  9. Jamie Ross, @BuzzFeedUK politics reporter

    @JamieRoss7

    tweets:

    Suzanne Evans says UKIP isn't scared about the "wrath of the Scots" when it comes to Barnett.

  10. Beth Rigby, deputy political editor of the FT

    @BethRigby

    tweets:

    Ukip wants to merge all the bits of govt it wants to cut: DECC/DCMS/DFID = one new tiny department"

  11. UKIP shopping list

    Suzanne Evans outlines UKIP's critique of the machinery of government. She proposes merging government departments together, which wins her a round of applause. She wants to end funding to "fake charities". She wants to charge "foreign lorries" a charge for "using our roads". This will all bring more money to "go back to the taxpayer", Ms Evans says.

  12. Karis Dowsell, Production Journo at @SWEveningPost

    @KarisJDowsell

    tweets:

    He wants a minister for veterans, but will axe the minister for women and equalities #Ukip

  13. Channelling Jerry Maguire...

    "We can show you the money because we have the money, and we have the money because we are not afraid to tackle head on the issues the other parties would frankly rather forget about."

    Suzanne Evans, UKIP

  14. Brexit boost

    Suzanne Evans

    Suzanne Evans says she's achieved all her aims "and much more" in putting together the UKIP manifesto. "UKIP is optimistic about Britain's future outside the EU," she says. The document makes clear "beyond a shadow of doubt" that Britain will continue to trade with European countries after "Brexit", Ms Evans claims. "We've everything to lose and nothing to gain."

  15. Tim Shipman, Political Editor, The Sunday Times

    @ShippersUnbound

    tweets:

    Farage demands a "dedicated minister for veterans". Which must be different from the veterans' minister: https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/parliamentary-under-secretary-of-state-defence-personnel-welfare-and-

  16. Rowena Mason, Political correspondent at The Guardian

    @rowenamason

    tweets:

    Ukip manifesto document v v long and detailed. Farage saying he would cut £18bn of taxes

  17. Right-hand woman

    "Five years is a long time in politics and it's an eon in terms of UKIP," Nigel Farage now says. He congratulates Suzanne Evans for producing the manifesto. There's lots of praise for her "professionalism" - before he hands over to her.

  18. James

    @jamesjones_12

    tweets:

    Scrapping hospital parking charges could actually be a winner for #UKIP... #UKIPManifesto

  19. More policies

    Nigel FarageGetty

    Policies are coming thick and fast from Nigel Farage:

    • Having faced criticism for his NHS policies in the past, Nigel Farage now emphasises his party's plan to increase spending on the NHS by £3bn more every year by 2020.
    • On "green spaces", he says the answer to the housing crisis is a brownfield approach that will offer one million new home by 2020
    • On defence, Mr Farage wonders why the other parties are ignoring foreign affairs. "UKIP will continue as we have done in the past to urge caution and restraint before we go to war, but we will recognise we live in an unstable world where there are genuine threats," he says. That's why UKIP will spend 2% on defence spending initially - and look to "increase it substantially after that

  20. Beth Rigby, FT's deputy political editor

    @BethRigby

    tweets:

    Farage describes his budget costings as the "gold standard" - we Re the only party with costed spending plans