Summary

  • Job figures show that UK unemployment has fallen to its lowest rate since July 2008

  • Labour unveils its Scottish manifesto in Glasgow

  • Conservative leader David Cameron is campaigning in the Midlands and in Wales, with a speech on jobs

  • Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg is in Scotland, where he will be urging Conservative and Labour voters to vote Lib Dem to defeat the SNP

  • There are 20 days until the general election

  1. A for effortpublished at 08:33

    @MsJenko

    This Louise Jenkins tweet , externalfeels worth a mention...

    UKIP FlyerImage source, Twitter
    Quote Message

    Brilliant!Teacher receives UKIP flyer through door&marks it!

  2. Working class votespublished at 08:28

    I only watched the last 10 minutes of the TV debate, but what I seemed to realise from nearly all those speakers, is that they only want to represent the "working class" population.

    They seem to forget that if they are in power, they represent the whole population and are required to treat the whole population fairly.

    John Lushington, Politics live reader

  3. Farage on fivepublished at 08:27

    BBC Radio 5 Live

    tweets:

    Nigel FarageImage source, Twitter
    Quote Message

    Have you a question for @Nigel_Farage? The @UKIP leader takes your calls from 9am 0500 909 693 text 85058 #BBCDebate

  4. Michael Crick, political correspondent, Channel 4 Newspublished at 08:19

    @MichaelLCrick

    tweets:, external

    Quote Message

    If I was Clegg I would have turned up at 7pm last night & demanded to take part. It would have been brilliant drama, & put TV firms on spot

  5. Debate reactionpublished at 08:16

    Why are the Tories now allowed to have a say after the programme has finished so that the other parties can't argue against them?

    If Mr Cameron didn't want to take part then the Tories have no right to have a voice on the programme.

    Jenny Chamberlain, Politics live reader

  6. Norman Smith, BBC assistant political editorpublished at 08:09

    @BBCNormanS

    tweets: , external

    Quote Message

    Striking @survation poll gives Ed M victory in UK; but @NicolaSturgeon victory in Scotland #bbcdebate

  7. Businesses back Lib Demspublished at 08:01

    We've had the Labour advertisement from businesses, warning about "risking the UK's exit from the European Union", and the subsequent furore in which some of those businesses claimed that they didn't back the party.

    We've had the letter supporting the Conservative party , written by a group of businessmen.

    And now the Lib Dems are at it, with a letter to the Financial Times, external signed by more than 50 entrepreneurs, who claim that “the country and business would benefit” from the Liberal Democrats staying in government after May’s general election.

  8. IMF chief praises UK economic policypublished at 07:52

    Christine LagardeImage source, Getty

    Much was made yesterday about the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warning that the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) was being overly optimistic, external in its economic forecasts and that the next government, whatever its colour, would fail to clear the deficit before the end of the next parliament. That's a particular problem for the Conservatives who have promised to clear it by 2018.

    Today however the coalition government's handling of the economy has been praised by the head of the IMF.

    Speaking in Washington, Christine Lagarde said that compared to the growth rates of other European countries, "it's obvious what's happening in the UK has worked". Mr Osborne was sharing a panel with her when she made the remarks.

  9. David Cameron, prime ministerpublished at 07:52

    @David_Cameron

    tweets:, external

    Quote Message

    Ed Miliband won't rule out a vote-by-vote deal with the SNP so he can be PM. It would mean more borrowing and more taxes and you would pay.

  10. Analysispublished at 07:51

    Nick Robinson
    Political editor

    Catch up with Nick Robinson's analysis of last night's debate.

    Quote Message

    Some thought David Cameron would pay a heavy price for not turning up for tonight's debate. Certainly there are voters who will be angry that the prime minister refused to take part in more than one debate. Clearly he missed a chance to make the Tory case and left the stage free to his opponents. Finally, Ed Miliband was able to challenge his opponent to have the courage to debate with him head-to-head. However, I suspect the prime minister will think that tonight went pretty much as he hoped it would. Why? Because what will stick in the memory is not the man who wasn't there but the row that was.

  11. Glasgow voterspublished at 07:44

    BBC Radio 4 Today

    And here's that story: BBC Radio 4's Today programme sent its chief correspondent Matthew Price to Glasgow to speak to voters about their debate reactions in the seat of Glasgow Central. You can listen to what they have to say here.

  12. Matthew Price, chief correspondent BBC Radio 4 Todaypublished at 07:43

    @BBCMatthewPrice

    tweets, external:

    Matthew PriceImage source, Twitter
    Quote Message

    Scottish referendum politics framed how our Glasgow panel for @BBCr4today viewed the debate (piece on 7:10 Friday)

  13. Trident debatepublished at 07:28

    BBC Radio 4 Today

    Kim Jong-unImage source, Reuters

    How important an issue is Trident to voters in Scotland?

    Maggie Chapman of the Scottish Greens tells the Today programme she thinks it is a huge issue for many voters in Scotland. “We have a situation where we are spending billions of pounds on a defence system that we know we are not going to use when we could be using that money to pay for public services that the vast majority of our people need and want,” she says.

    David Coburn, Scotland’s only UKIP MEP tells Today the world is not becoming any safer. “Mr Putin is running about waving his sabre here and there and everywhere," he says.

    “You can’t just plan for the next two years and next five years. We do need to have a nuclear weapon it’s also about playing a part in the world,” he adds. Mr Coburn claims: “The one reason no-one is invading North Korea is because they are armed to the teeth with nuclear weapons… let’s get real about this.”

  14. Tim Montgomerie, columnist for The Timespublished at 07:19

    @montie

    tweets: , external

    Quote Message

    Most people may not be enjoying the election but @naughtiej oozing enthusiasm on #r4today as if he's eating a sumptuous meal

  15. The paperspublished at 07:16

    The Daily Mail

    And the Daily Mail publishes political sketchwriter Quentin Letts, external's take on the debate.

    He writes: "Enid Blyton used to write adventures about the Famous Five. The books had titles such as Five Get Into Trouble, Five On A Treasure Island.

    "Or as it was last night at the Central Hall in Westminster, Five Go Moaning and Minging About ‘Austerity’, Five Tell Implausible Porkies About How They Would Run Our Finances.

    "The absence of Messrs Cameron and Clegg left the show badly unbalanced as there was no one to put a positive side on the last five years."

  16. Debate reaction: who won?published at 07:04

    BBC Radio 4 Today

    So who won last night's debate. The BBC 's assistant political editor Norman Smith tells the Today programme last night Ed Miliband probably had the most to be pleased about.

    He had two main challenges in the debate Norman says. First, to look prime ministerial and second to escape the "embrace of Nicola Sturgeon".

    In some respects, he says the debate worked very well for Mr Miliband, allowing him to place himself in the middle ground and "look like a prime minister in waiting".

    He had a harder time rebuffing Nicola Sturgeon, Norman says. It was difficult to escape the "hard logic" of Ms Sturgeon’s argument that Labour can’t form a government without the support of the Scottish Nationalists.

    And it was clear that Ms Sturgeon intends to drive a hard bargain should the two parties come to negotiations in just over three weeks’ time.

  17. The paperspublished at 07:03

    The Independent

    The Independent, external says that Ed Miliband survived his TV showdown with four other opposition party leaders as he staked his claim to be prime minister but came under repeated fire for supporting “Tory cuts”.

    Leaders debateImage source, Getty
  18. The paperspublished at 06:51

    The Times

    The Times sums up Ms Sturgeon's message to Labour with the headline, external "Join me or you'll pay".

    But Mr Miliband insisted that he could win alone. The Labour leader said he had “respect” for Ms Sturgeon’s calls for independence but it would be a “disaster for working people”.

    The Times's opinion, external is that "voters had a glimpse last night of British politics without a centre or a centre right. It was fascinating but not pretty."

  19. The paperspublished at 06:46

    The Guardian

    The Guardian leads on the line that Ed Miliband told Nicola Sturgeon, external in the final TV debate: I won't do a deal with you.

    The paper's columnists Gaby Hinsliff, Hugh Muir, Polly Toynbee, Deborah Orr and Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett give their reactions, external to the night's events. Ms Toynbee's verdict on Ed Miliband? "Calm, relaxed, even laughing sometimes, he hit all the buttons," she says.

    And Deborah Orr on Nicola Sturgeon: "Nicola Sturgeon certainly played a blinder."

  20. Latest pollspublished at 06:41

    OK, so obviously a LOT of today is likely to be about the fallout of last night's debates but we're pretty sure there is other news out there. We'll bring you that as we find it.

    In the meantime, here is some opinion polling for you.

    Three polls: MORI, Panelbase and YouGov all give Labour a lead of between one and two points.

    The Conservatives: 33%.

    Labour on 35% in two and 34% in one.

    The Lib Dems were around 8%.

    UKIP between 10-16%.

    Greens on 8% in MORI and 4% in Panelbase and 5% with YouGov.

    The London Evening Standard report of MORI’s findings highlighted “only 33% think Ed Miliband would be capable leader”. However, MORI also found a 12 point improvement in Mr Miliband’s satisfaction ratings in one month. His net satisfaction rating was -19% (compared with -31% in March and -35% in January) and David Cameron’s was -14%.

    Survation’s instant post-debate poll had Ed Miliband winning the debate, although Nicola Sturgeon was judged to have performed best. Nigel Farage also performed strongly in the opinion of respondents.