The Conservatives promise a law guaranteeing no rise in income tax, national insurance or VAT before 2020
But Labour say Tory plans would mean cuts to tax credits totalling £3.8 billion
The Lib Dems pledge to offer free schools meals to all children in England
There are eight days left until the general election
Image source, PAScottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson looks to have stepped up her campaign a bit...
Unsurprisingly, she was focusing on defence - specifically the need to renew Trident and ensure the armed forces are properly equipped - during a visit to Tayside.
BBC Radio 4
Patrick Stevens, director of tax policy at the Chartered Institute of Taxation, says he looks upon the Tories' tax promise as a new kind of pledge. "You could just as easily pass a law cancelling the first law," he tells The World At One. "It's an election pledge."
And they have plenty of other options too - raising other taxes or making more cuts - if they wanted to stick to their plans. Corporation tax doesn't raise much money; indirect taxes on things like alcohol, fuel duty and tobacco could be increased, too, but they probably wouldn't bring in much cash.
That just leaves the tax credit system, then. "The overall intention is to reduce the amount of credits being paid out, quite substantially in some cases," Mr Stevens says. These, of course, are a big part of the welfare bill.
The polling firm tweets...
BBC Radio 4 Today
Continuing the Today programme's series of visits to some of Britain's most interesting constituencies, we have a double-bill on offer: Sima Kotecha has been to Blackley and Broughton, where many don't feel their vote will have much weight, and Bath, Justin Webb's home town, where the Liberal Democrats' Don Foster is hoping to cling on. Catch up with their progress by following the links...
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Daily Politics viewer:
To Darren Glasper's comment and all others who attack Brand for being a millionaire speaking out against the rich elites. Being rich does not stop you from addressing issues that affect the poor. It's a good thing to be socially conscious and rising above personal bias or benefit. If anything we need more wealthy and advantaged people to speak up for the needy and deprived, otherwise we get a divided class based society.
Image source, AFP
Daily Politics
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David Mellor, the former Conservative cabinet minister, has been on the Daily Politics comparing the situation now with that of the 1992 general election - another close-run affair. “The difference between ’92 and now is that it was expected that Labour would win because the Tories had been through a lot of self-immolation,” he says. “This time the astonishing thing is that Labour are in with a shout, given the way the economy has been going and so on.”
There’s one factor, he says, which changes things rather significantly compared to 23 years ago - something which he admits makes him rather "uncomfortable". What can it possibly be? “John Major was really well-liked personally. He appeared to be a normal guy doing his best,” Mr Mellor explains. “The tragedy of this election for Tories is that David Cameron has not projected himself outside of a very limited social class.”
The World at One
BBC Radio 4
Coming up in the second half of The World At One is an interview with Plaid leader Leanne Wood:
Image source, ReutersThe PM's wife joined Brentford and Isleworth Conservative Party candidate Mary Macleod in Hounslow.
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Joe Hawkins, Birkenhead:
I feel sorry for William Hague who I have had great admiration for (even though a Tory) in the past. Firstly, he drew the short straw and had to do David Cameron's bidding on trying to change the rules on election of the Speaker of the House on the last day of the last parliament (despite looking so embarrassed by it all). Secondly, his abysmal response in backing the Tory latest tax lock on today's Daily Politics Show.
Nick Robinson
Political editor
Image source, Getty ImagesToday's "tax lock" pledge from the Conservatives, along with the repeated political cross-dressing we've seen, are symptoms of a lack of trust in politicians and a weakening in the strength of the two main political brands, Nick Robinson has written today. It's all very familiar, as he blogs: Read my lips… no new taxes.
BuzzFeedUK politics reporter tweets
Email: politics@bbc.co.uk
Phil Brown:
My vote would go to the party that really took the housing situation seriously.
Pledges to build however many thousands of houses are outside the gift of any government that relies on the builders to build them. Builders will always act in their own best interests in the same way as any other business. If ever the right to have a secure home was recognised as a key ingredient to a stable society, then government would act. It is unfair that we have allowed ourselves to get to the situation where our economy and the well being of our financial institutions are absolutely dependent on maintaining a shortage of housing and its consequential inflated value.
Daily Politics
Live on BBC Two
Vanessa Hudson, leader of the the Animal Welfare Party, is interviewed on the Daily Politics, introduces a new concept to the election debate: a “speciesist way of thinking”. She compares her “social justice movement” to the campaigns for women’s rights and civil rights. There are a billion animals living in Britain and they don’t have any representation, Ms Hudson points out. Should they be covered by the Human Rights Act, then? No, that would be “crazy”. But “they do have the right not to suffer unduly at the hands of man”.
Image source, AFP/Getty ImagesHere’s a few highlights from the Evening Standard’sinterview with the prime minister, external:
- David Cameron warns that there’s “absolutely no guarantee” politicians would be able to put together “another strong government” like the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition
- He hints that Boris Johnson could be given an infrastructure job in the cabinet
- Mr Cameron’s children “chastised” him for swearing after his new “pumped-up” approach saw him say the election was “bloody lively”
- He insisted he would serve a “full second term” despite having ruled out running to seek a third.
But the big quote is probably this:
Quote MessageI think there is a risk to Britain... if [the] government comes to a shuddering halt you can find parts of the economy coming to a juddering halt."
David Cameron
Email: politics@bbc.co.uk
David McKay, Portknockie:
I am an SNP supporter but the possibility of the SNP winning all the Scottish Westminster seats in the GE dismays me. What sort of democracy leaves the views of 48% of the electorate unrepresented? At a time when we are likely to have a government in Westminster that can only garner the votes of 33% of the electorate, it makes the UK's electoral system look entirely stupid. How can any party claim to have a mandate for its manifesto policies when less than 40% support them? Or should I say that more than 60% oppose them? It makes the UK look like Europe's version of a banana republic.
The deputy political editor of the Daily Mirror tweets...
Image source, Getty ImagesForeign secretary Philip Hammond, who’s just chaired a meeting of the government’s emergency COBRA committee, has said that a dual-British national resident in Hong Kong has died in the wake of the Nepal earthquake. “We are urgently investigating reports of a further British national apparently reported killed at the Everest base camp,” Mr Hammond says. “We don’t have confirmation of that but we are investigating.” Aircraft leaving the UK carrying aid are expected to return to Stansted bringing people home “sometime during the evening”, he added. More here.
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Daily Politics reader:
If the SNP win Scotland, the Conservatives England and Labour Wales, as seems likely, surely a federal structure and far more power to the Scottish Welsh AND an English parliament is the only sensible long term answer.
Email: politics@bbc.co.uk
Robert Smith:
Was wondering why no political journalist ever asks the SNP how they are delivering on their 2012 manifesto in Scotland? It's worth having a look at this document as this is what the SNP in Scotland are currently working to. It reads like the Conservative manifesto. They were known as the tartan Tories - how come they are now seen as some great left-wing movement? It's all hype.