Bob:

More from Environment Secretary Liz Truss.

The BBC's Norman Smith puts to the minister Ed Milband's words about Libya, due to be delivered at a speech later - that the refugee crisis is in part a failure to provide for post-conflict planning, not that direct blame was to be attributed to David Cameron.

"My understanding is that direct blame was apportioned," Ms Truss says. "To politicise this very tragic situation in the middle of an election campaign casts doubt on Ed Miliband's ability to take office and lead the country as prime minister."

She also questions the premise of the question, saying the government has supported Libya and had to intervene in what was a humanitarian disaster about to unfold.

BBC Radio 4 Today

In terms of what the Labour leader is expected to say in his speech later. Norman Smith points to three quotes on Today.

Mr Miliband is expected to say later:

• "The refugee crisis and tragic scenes this week in the Mediterranean are in part a direct result of the failure of post conflict planning for Libya"
• "David Cameron was wrong to assume that Libya’s political culture and institutions could be left to evolve and transform on their own"
• "The tragedy is this could have been anticipated it should have been avoided”

This last quote in particular has been seized upon by the Tories to suggest Labour are implying Mr Cameron is somehow responsible for the refugee deaths in the Mediterranean

Norman says with the language they have chosen Labour have opened themselves up to the charge that they are indeed implying Mr Cameron bears a direct responsibility for the current refugee crisis whatever their original intentions.

BBC Radio 4 Today

This is not really about foreign policy, it’s turning into a row about character, the BBC’s assistant political editor Norman Smith tells Today.

The Tories are trying to suggest Labour leader Ed Miliband is not worthy to become prime minister because he is using the tragedy in the Mediterranean to score political points.

Labour are “vehemently and categorically denying” that they are laying blame on David Cameron for the deaths in the Mediterranean. They insist Mr Miliband is making a broader point about the failure of the West on foreign policy.

But some of the language used in overnight briefings reads differently, Norman says.

The Daily Telegraph's sketch writer Michael Deacon went canvassing with Nigel Farage in south Thanet.

The story unfolded yesterday evening and you can see the result here, external.

Image source, Michael Deacon

BBC Radio 4 Today

Douglas Alexander tells Today the prime minister “waded in and then walked away”. What we have seen since 2011 is five different Libyan governments, he says. Mr Alexander says the West lost the opportunity to provide better support.

“We are now in a situation where we have got two rival governments: one in Tripoli one in Tobruk," he says.

Mr Alexander says in the first democratic elections in 2012, the Islamists won only 19 out of 80 seats so the current situation was not inevitable.

He says David Cameron and the government made an error in thinking that the political culture in Libya was akin to that of Tunisia, where a political culture has developed.

There was a belief that you could maintain the apparatus of the state once Gaddafi was gone. But what happened was the disintegration of that state apparatus, and into that vacuum moved the militias that are governing the country today.

He says that he doesn’t think it is right to lift the arms embargo however. He does think freezing the assets of those militia groups would be a first step in any process. He says a Labour government would work with the UN envoy to try to establish an inclusive government in Libya in now what would be extremely difficult circumstances in the country.

In 2011, the 42-year rule of Muammar Gaddafi was brought to an end by an uprising and ensuing civil war.

In March 2011 - after the Gaddafi regime's brutal crackdown on protesters inspired by the Arab Spring - the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1973 authorising "all necessary measures" to protect civilians in Libya.

It was swiftly followed by the Nato-led military intervention that was backed by many European states, the US and Arab countries. In the UK, there was all-party support for the UN action, with Parliament voting 557 to 13 in favour.

Today, the chaos and conflict in Libya is forcing tens of thousands of migrants who work there to flee across the Mediterranean. Adding to the problem is so-called Islamic State which has gained a number of footholds in the country.

BBC Radio 4 Today

Labour’s foreign affairs spokesman Douglas Alexander accuses the Conservatives of manufacturing a row over Labour leader Ed Miliband’s speech later on foreign policy and tells the Today programme he thinks it has been “generated to obscure the facts".

Mr Alexander says: “The speech rightly highlights the loss of British influence that David Cameron has overseen and also highlights the very widely accepted failures on Libya where the international community rightly, I believe, acted to prevent Benghazi being turned into a slaughter house but then has abjectly failed to engage in effect post conflict planning and I think that is widely understood and widely recognised.”

In a speech later today, the Labour leader, Ed Miliband, is to criticise David Cameron's approach to foreign policy.

Part of the speech refers to the UK's involvement in Libya. Here's an extract from the planned speech:

BBC Radio 4 Today

Liz Truss turns to English votes for English laws. She says under the plans, English MPs will have a veto on matters that are specifically relevant to England. Where it is the case of a finance bill if the measures are specifically relevant to England it will be subject to a veto by English MPs.

“What I’m keen to see is the union continue and strengthen and to do that we need to make sure it is done on a fair basis,” she says.

Scottish MPs will be involved in the process of creating legislation, Ms Truss says. It would mean legislation will require agreement across the whole house.

If it is a matter that is a UK matter, then all UK MPs will have a say. If there are matters that just affect England then there will be an extra stage in the legislative process where English MPs will be able to vote.

But it is still unclear, from what Ms Truss says, whether if they voted against the legislation at that point that would bring the bill down.

BBC Radio 4 Today

Environment Secretary Liz Truss tells the Today programme it is “absolutely offensive” that Ed Miliband should be suggesting that David Cameron is responsible for the refugee crisis in the Mediterranean.

She points out that the UK government has offered more help in the crisis.

To bring this into an election campaign, she says, is “outrageous and disgraceful”.

She says Mr Miliband should withdraw his remarks on the current crisis. It's worth pointing out he hasn't made a speech yet.

Ms Truss adds: "Of course we should be talking about foreign affairs but it should be done in the proper manner."

As the Tories prepare to outline how they would give English MPs votes on English laws, let's have a look at that peculiarity of British politics: the West Lothian question.

As our colleague Esther Webber points out, it refers to the the apparent unfairness whereby a Scottish MP can vote on policies covering things like schools and hospitals in England, but English MPs have no say on how these are run in Scotland, because the Scottish Parliament takes care of them.

There's a handy guide to the subject here.

Image source, Reuters

The Daily Mail

The Daily Mail calls it an "absurd fantasy", external of Ed Miliband's, promising that voters can "have it all" without the pain of major cuts - a promise, they say, that was demolished by the IFS yesterday.

The Guardian

Guardian economics editor Larry Elliott suggests the Tory economic plans looks undeliverable, external, following a challenge by the IFS to explain how the party will achieve £30bn in cuts to Whitehall spending.

"In truth, the thinktank believes everybody is winging it, but the Conservatives are winging it more than Labour, the Liberal Democrats, external or the SNP," he writes.

Watch out for reaction today to SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon's comments to the BBC's Newsnight last night.

She told the programme that her party would prop up a Labour government, even if the Tories finished the election as the largest party by up to 40 seats.

She said that "if [the Conservatives] can't command a majority, they can't be a government".

BBC Radio 4 Today

We also get a piece of political cross-dressing today with Labour leader Ed Miiliband to say later that his party will spend more on defence than the Conservatives.

The BBC's assistant political editor Norman Smith says he thinks that's the first time he has ever hear a Labour leader make such a promise in a general election.

There are one of two problems with this kind of promise however, he says. The first is that we don't yet know what the Conservatives are going to spend on defence so it's hard to say you are going to spend more. The second is that the promise is based on the Institute of Fiscal Studies' (IFS) analysis that unprotected departments will see an 18% cut in spending under the Tories in the next parliament.

"All Labour are really doing it seems to me is saying that they will do better than that," Norman adds.

Mr Miliband will also say David Cameron is partially responsible for the unfolding tragedy of the refugee crisis in the Mediterranean because he "turned his back" on Libya. Those around Mr Cameron are furious about this describing it as provocative, shameful and unbecoming of a prime minister.

Norman says he thinks "this is going to be pretty personal and pretty nasty on the back of those comments".