Summary

  • Former Conservative Prime Minister Sir John Major warns a Labour-SNP government would be "a recipe for mayhem"

  • Labour says it would launch what it calls an "NHS rescue plan", including a recruitment drive for 1,000 new nurses

  • Ed Miliband accuses David Cameron of putting the union at risk by "talking up" the SNP

  • Nick Clegg says Lib Dems would allow councils to charge 200% council tax on second homes in rural beauty spots

  • BBC Radio One's Newsbeat stages hour-long debate on health, education and immigration for 100 young adults

Live Reporting

Kristiina Cooper, Andy McFarlane and Anna Doble

  1. BBC's Lucy Manning

    @lucymanning

    tweets:

    About to @periscope from build up to Ed Miliband speech at Manchester Met Uni on health...

  2. Mark Devenport, BBC Northern Ireland's political editor

    @markdevenport

    tweets:

    Peter Robinson says DUP would support either Labour or Conservatives if circumstances right or neither if they aren't"

  3. George Eaton, political editor, New Statesman

    @georgeeaton

    tweets:

    It's easy to forget that the Conservatives are standing candidates in Scotland. Race entirely framed as SNP against Labour."

  4. English interest

    The Barnett formula - which works out how much cash per head is given to Scotland, Wales and the rest of the UK - will remain in place under Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat plans. But not under those of UKIP, as the party’s economic spokesman Patrick O’Flynn has been pointing out. He told a briefing for journalists earlier that the other main parties in Westminster won't guarantee English votes for English laws, either. That leaves him concluding that "only UKIP will stand up for the interests of English and indeed Welsh voters in the House of Commons after the election". Mr O’Flynn also attacked David Cameron for being the “fundamental problem” at the heart of the Tory campaign.

    Patrick O'Flynn

    They have a leader who doesn't actually really know what - to use that quote - his irreducible core is. What are his values? What does he stand for? I think it is much easier to tell what our leader, what Nigel Farage stands for."

    Patrick O'Flynn

  5. Get involved

    Email: politics@bbc.co.uk

    Phil Brown, Lowestoft:

    SNP are a political party in the same way as any other, admittedly their long term objective might be seen as destructive to the union but, in the meantime, they appear to represent a majority of their voters opinions. I cannot see, from a Conservative perspective, that it makes any difference, particularly if the alternative were 50 Labour MPs in Scotland which would give Labour a fighting chance of a majority. This endless squabbling because the “status quo” is being overturned is getting tedious.

  6. Get involved

    Email: politics@bbc.co.uk

    Martyn Wood-Bevan:

    If the Tories don't want the SNP to break up Britain why don't they encourage their Scottish voters to tactically vote, in order that they elect more pro union Labour candidates to prevent them forming such a major grouping?

  7. Iain Watson, BBC Labour campaign correspondent

    @iainjwatson

    tweets:

    The venue for #Labour's health speech - Manchester metropolitan university #ge2015

    Labour posters at Manchester Metropolitan University

  8. Mark Devenport, BBC Northern Ireland's political editor

    @markdevenport

    tweets:

    Peter Robinson launches DUP manifesto in Wright Bus plant with London Routemaster bus as backdrop"

    DUP manifesto launch

  9. But for Scotland...

    The Huffington Post

    Sadiq Khan

    Earlier today David Steel made the point that the Labour-SNP question is a confused one, because nationalists taking seats from Ed Miliband doesn’t exactly increase the net total of "progressive" seats. But Sadiq Khan, who’s been speaking to the Huffington Post, claims the situation in Scotland could make a decisive difference in this campaign. "But for the possibility of losing seats in Scotland I think we would easily win the general election,” he says. Mr Khan also praises Ed Miliband for being “in the zone” - but calls on Labour campaigners as a whole to “amplify the noise” as polling day approaches.

  10. Antony Holt

    @Hasselschmuck

    tweets:

    Allowing The SNP an influence in Government is dangerous, but when John Major was propped up by the DUP for almost 5 years?"

  11. Democratic Unionist Party

    @duponline

    tweets:

    Ready to launch the 2015 #DUP manifesto shortly."

    DUP manifesto launchDUP

  12. JPCampbellBiz, BBC Northern Ireland economics and business editor

    @JP_Biz

    tweets:

    The DUP line on deficit reduction looks closer to Lab than Con: 'the rush to...eliminate the deficit can have an impact on growth.'

  13. Scottish Lib Dem launch

    Willie RenniePA

    Today sees the launch of the Scottish Liberal Democrats’ manifesto, in which leader Willie Rennie will argue voters can choose a “responsible” plan to combine a stronger economy (tick) with a fairer society (tick).

    We are now closer to our ambition of creating opportunity for everyone. But with wins for the Liberal Democrats in this election we can make it a decade of opportunity.

    Willie Rennie

    He's expected to highlight the Lib Dems’ plan to fund the NHS, create more jobs and boost early years education. But will it be enough to help his party hold on to all of its 11 seats north of the border?

  14. Battle for the grey vote

    Victoria Derbyshire

    Panel of voters

    A panel of over-60s is discussing what the parties could do to win their vote, live now on the Victoria Derbyshire programme.

  15. 'The second-longest suicide note in history'

    Jeremy Cliffe, The Economist's UK politics correspondent

    writes:

    "The Scottish National Party's manifesto does not strong-arm Labour. In fact, it condemns the SNP to insignificance"

    Read more

  16. Get involved

    Email: politics@bbc.co.uk

    Duncan Gardiner:

    It is inevitable that McMiliband will have to cosy up to Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP. He won’t have a choice if he scrapes into No10.

  17. Fishing for votes (sorry!)

    Nick Clegg with a big fishGetty

    Has Nick Clegg taken the election's foodie theme back to basics and gone out to catch his own? Well, not quite, but he did get up at the crack of dawn to meet some Cornish fishermen.

  18. Less negative

    YouGov doughnut chartYouGov/Times

    Here’s some polling numbers suggesting that Labour is doing well in this election campaign: 11% more people think they’re not ready for government than think they are, according to YouGov's research for the Times. That's not good news, you might think - but this is a significant improvement from the net minus 35% rating for the party seen in September last year. Ed Miliband has made some progress, too, on the question of whether he is a prime minister in waiting. Last autumn he was on minus 55% - but now that’s down to minus 29%. Well, Labour supporters will think it’s progress, anyhow.

  19. Michael Savage, chief political correspondent of the Times

    @michaelsavage

    tweets:

    Surely Alistair Darling is right - SNP can't be seen downing a Labour government. If Labour dare them to do so, it has big decision to make."

  20. Don't panic

    The Daily Telegraph

    Parliament and union jack

    "We are about to find out just how well Britain deals with a proper constitutional crisis," Philip Johnston writes in the Telegraph as he marks St George's Day later this week. His argument is that the "likelihood" of Ed Miliband forming a government "while in thrall to a nationalist party" is bad news for the UK. That scenario would "test our constitutional structures to breaking point, and maybe beyond". Oh dear. "More than that, it could test our creaking, centuries-old union to destruction."

    Gulp.