Summary

  • The Liberal Democrats say education funding will be a "red line" in any coalition negotiations

  • Labour says it would exempt first-time buyers from stamp duty on homes worth up to £300,000

  • Nicola Sturgeon says Labour has been "bullied" in to ruling out a coalition with her SNP party

  • A letter signed by 5,000 small businesses backs the Conservatives

  • There are 10 days left until the general election

  1. Send us your commentspublished at 11:31

    Email: politics@bbc.co.uk

    Martin Bristow:

    As we enter the last full week of campaigning the polls appear locked. It is a surprise to me as I did expect the Conservatives to be ahead by now by a decisive margin. Given the awful inheritance they were bequeathed the state of the economy today means they merit a second opportunity. Those who would blame the bankers for the total mess that Labour left us in are in denial. Their 13 years of excessive borrowing regulatory tinkering and an uncompetitive tax regime has mired this country in decline. I remain hopeful that the Tories will come through and win and sense will prevail.

    Martin

  2. Home Office contenders in TV debatepublished at 11:28

    Daily Politics
    Live on BBC Two

    In the second Daily Politics programme on Monday, Andrew Neil and Mark Easton will host a live home affairs debate with Conservative Theresa May, Labour’s Yvette Cooper, Lib Dem Norman Baker, Green Simon Thomas and UKIP’s Steven Woolfe. It's the latest in a series of nine afternoon debates, with defence and security coming on Tuesday, and health issues on Wednesday. They all start at 14:00 BST, and are repeated on BBC Parliament at 21:00 BST.

    Daily Politics graphic
  3. Coming up from noonpublished at 11:19

    Daily Politics on BBC2

    Andrew Neil
    Daily and Sunday Politics

    In the first Daily Politics of the day, Andrew Neil and Jo Coburn will look at the Conservative appeal to business, with the party's David Gauke and Labour's Emma Reynolds, and UKIP's standing in the polls with its deputy leader, Suzanne Evans. The smaller party coverage will see the return of the Whigs, and the American satirist P J O'Rourke will give his take on the general election. That's coming up on BBC2 from 12:00 to 13:00 BST, or desktop readers can watch on the Live Coverage tab above.

    P J O'Rourke
  4. Miliband speechpublished at 11:15 British Summer Time 27 April 2015

    Ed MilibandImage source, Reuters

    Also this morning, Labour leader Ed Miliband is making a speech to local activists in Stockton, at 11.15am. He's setting out his party's housing plans, including a tax break for first-time buyers. As ever, we'll be keeping across it and bringing you live updates.

  5. Gordon Brown speechpublished at 11:13

    Gordon BrownImage source, Getty images

    Gordon Brown will be giving a speech on the Union a little later this morning, at Walker Technology College in Newcastle. The former Labour prime minister will emphasise what he sees as the benefits of the Union being maintained from the English perspective.

    Mr Brown was a prominent "No" campaigner in the Scottish independence referendum.

  6. Claws outpublished at 11:02

    David Cameron in 2005Image source, PA

    During a tour of the Ageas Bowl cricket ground in Hampshire, Nick Clegg took an apparent swipe at his coalition partner David Cameron, telling reporters he wasn't a cricket fan and adding: "It's a perilous thing to pretend you're a fan of a sport when you're not."

    Mr Cameron accidentally said he was a West Ham fan during a speech at the weekend, when he actually claims to be an Aston Villa supporter.

  7. Send us your commentspublished at 10:58 British Summer Time 27 April 2015

    Email: politics@bbc.co.uk

    Joe Hawkins:

    If Labour are so bad at running the economy, why did they win three elections on the bounce? Attitudes changed after the global credit crunch, which the name implies was everywhere not just in Britain under Labour. We already have George Osborne saying we have potential problems with the eurozone but the Tories will not be blamed if it happens.

  8. Clegg: Winning in our DNApublished at 10:57

    Nick Clegg

    Nick Clegg has been out and about campaigning in Eastleigh, which the party held in a by-election triggered by the resignation of Lib Dem Chris Huhne during the past parliament.

    The Lib Dem leader said winning was "in our DNA", telling supporters his party was "fighting a campaign like we've never fought a campaign before" with a 60 by-elections strategy.

    Since the start of the year, Liberal Democrats have had "a million conversations with voters in the seats and constituencies where we are campaigning" and "handed out 50 million bits of literature", he told the gathered activists.

    Earlier, a senior Lib Dem source told the Press Association the number of seats the party realistically expected to have after the election was "in the 30s".

    The source, closely involved in the party's election strategy, said the campaign's focus was increasingly on between 10 and 15 marginal seats.

  9. Latest pollingpublished at 10:54 British Summer Time 27 April 2015

    The chief political correspondent for the Financial Times tweets...

  10. Game-changing speech?published at 10:49 British Summer Time 27 April 2015

    The Daily Record's Westminster editor tweets...

  11. Analysis from the scenepublished at 10:47

    From Jonny Dymond, Conservative campaign correspondent

    David Cameron hammered his way through his speech, rapidly working up a sweat under the lights in a room crowded with party supporters and small business owners. The economy is everything, he said, and reeled off achievements and ambitions. But his message was really "I want to win" and he wanted to show he had the fight left in him to grasp victory.

  12. Hard workpublished at 10:45 British Summer Time 27 April 2015

    The contributing editor for the Spectator tweets...

  13. Bennett loses her voicepublished at 10:46

    Natalie BennettImage source, Reuters

    The Green Party's leader in England and Wales Natalie Bennett has had to cancel an appearance at Cressingham Gardens in London because of a lost voice.

    She tweeted earlier: "Too many conversations with voters mean I have lost my voice - apologies to #cressinghamgardens residents that I won't be able to visit today."

  14. Gunning for victorypublished at 10:41

    David Cameron

    There is so much on the line in 10 days' time, David Cameron says, as he pledges to work the hardest he has ever done in his life to secure a Conservative victory. He leaves the stage to applause - and stops to shake hands and chat with some of the people in the room.

  15. Labour-SNP 'conundrum'published at 10:36

    Commenting on Unite's Len McCluskey's comments that he expects Labour to join up with "progressive" parties in the event of a hung parliament, David Cameron repeats his warning about an Labour-SNP alliance.

    He says he doesn't make the point to "frighten" people but to show that voting Conservative is the solution to this "conundrum".

  16. Decision timepublished at 10:33

    "It's decision time, that's what pumps me up about this," says David Cameron.

    If you want to take a risk or a punt, vote for the other guy, he says. But if you want stability and security - which, he says, enables families to plan, businesses to invest, and to move forward as a country - then vote for the Conservatives.

    Don't vote Lib Dem thinking you'll probably end up with me because you won't, you'll probably end up with Ed Miliband. Similarly don't vote UKIP, as you'll end up with a Labour government then too, Mr Cameron warns.

    The prime minister says the past five years have been tough, but 'we're on the brink of something special' so let's stick with the plan.

  17. 'Old-fashioned thing'published at 10:29

    Nick Clegg

    Nick Clegg is speaking at the same time as David Cameron - the Lib Dem leader is down in Eastleigh, in Hampshire.

    Quote Message

    It’s not for me or for any of us to express a preference on which of the older parties the Lib Dems may or may not talk to after the general election. That is up to the preference of millions of people doing that wonderful, old fashioned thing of putting a cross in a box. It’s called democracy. So let's wait and see what people say."

    Nick Clegg

  18. 'Getting lively'published at 10:27

    David Cameron is asked about his show of passion today. "If I'm getting lively about it it's because I feel bloody lively about it," he tells the room.

  19. Election is a 'straight choice'published at 10:24

    Time for some media questions now. Have you left it too late? The only poll that counts is the one on 7 May, David Cameron responds. He says there is a "straight choice" between sticking with the plan that is "working" - or to "go back to square one" with Labour.

  20. Cameron: I'm on your sidepublished at 10:23

    "I am on your side," says a very animated David Cameron (not for the first time this morning).

    He warns that "there's nothing without a strong economy", as he urges people not to "put it at risk" on 7 May. Let's go and win this fight, he concludes, to lengthy applause.