Channel 4

Image source, PA

After Nick Clegg went on Channel 4’s The Last Leg programme - and got a rather good write-up, external from the show's presenter Adam Hills as a result - now a voter asks if David Cameron is going to follow suit. The PM doesn’t sound keen. “I’ve got a feeling it could be one of those programmes that’s better to watch than appear on,” he says warily. “But I’ll give it some thought.”

Image source, PA

David Cameron is asked why he’s not getting to spend quality time with Russell Brand, as Ed Miliband did last night. He offers a rather robust reply. “Politics and life and election and jobs and the economy is not a joke -Russell Brand’s a joke!” he says. “Ed Miliband, hang out with Russell Brand, he’s a joke. This is not funny. I haven’t got time to hang out with Russell Brand!”

Image source, Getty Images

Reinforcing David Cameron's message, Chancellor George Osborne has this to say about today's GDP figures:

Mike Holden:

The PM says he is “fighting for you” as he pledges to fight for the economy, stability and security. After a quick glug of water at the end of his speech, David Cameron is asked about his view on Europe. He says the UK “can make progress”, citing his negotiations on the EU budget, before saying that membership isn’t worth it “on any terms”.

Later, he's pressed by the BBC's Gavin Hewitt on GDP rates once again. “It’s a reminder of the fragility of the recovery,” he says, before suggesting instability in Europe and the “softening of growth” elsewhere in the world has something to do with it. “You shouldn’t take too much on one quarter’s figures,” Mr Cameorn stresses. “This is a precious time where you’ve got to stick to the plan that’s working.”

It doesn’t matter who ends up leading the next government, the Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank has decided - average incomes are set to fall regardless. Here's what it makes of the parties’ proposals:

- The Tories will cut taxes but cut benefits, too

- Labour will protect benefits but increase taxes to pay for it

- The Lib Dems will end up somewhere in the middle

It’s all rather damning. “All these parties seem to have a desire to raise tax revenue in vaguely-defined, opaque and apparently painless ways,” Stuart Adam and James Browne say. “In many cases the proposals would lead to unnecessary increases in complexity and inefficiency in the tax system.”

They’re scathing about benefit cut proposals, too. The Tories’ are “largely unspecified”, the Lib Dems are “vague” and Labour’s are “trivially small relative to the rhetoric being used”.

Ouch.

hurricanechicken comments on this story: It's amazing just how many things these bank fines are funding.

They seem to have been spent many times by all parties in their manifestos.

Perhaps more fines are being lined up that the banks don't know about yet.

jenko comments: Cut foreign aid then we will have enough to really fund apprenticeships.

Why do we give our hard earned money to others when we need it? especially when we have food banks

Chris Newey:

And now here’s David Cameron’s first comment on today’s GDP stats: “The figures out today show we’re still growing, and that’s good, but they show we cannot take the recovery for granted.” He says the recovery is “at risk” in this election. “If there’s a difference, there’s a risk. With me, you know what you get. You keep the plan, you keep the growth, you keep the jobs, you keep the security.” The alternative would mean higher taxes, higher interest rates and lower investment that would bring the economy to a “juddering halt”, the prime minister warns.

Dex:

Politics Daily viewer texts:

“The economy is everything,” David Cameron says twice. “That is what is on the ballot paper in nine days’ time.” He’s talking figuratively there, just to be clear. You can't just vote for that.