Summary

  • 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

  1. SNP landslide?published at 10:45

    SNP badgesImage source, Getty

    The SNP could win all 59 Scottish seats in the general election, according to a new poll. The final Ipsos MORI poll for STV News puts support for Nicola Sturgeon's party at 54%, up by two percentage points on the last poll, with Labour trailing on 20%, down from 24%.

    Support for the Conservatives has increased by five points to 17% while the Liberal Democrats are on 5%, up one point, the Greens are on 2%, down by two points, UKIP are polling at 1%, with support for other parties also at 1%.

    Using these figures, the Electoral Calculus website predicts that the SNP would take all 59 seats in Scotland.

    Ipsos MORI questioned 1,071 people between April 22 and 27 on how they would vote if there were a Westminster General Election tomorrow.

  2. Add to the debatepublished at 10:44

    Text: 61124

    Swedish expat in London:

    To "Gill". I am afraid you are grossly misleaded. Scandinavia's welfare systems are in tatters: state school results are plummeting and the equivalent of Sweden's NHS are making patients literally wait for ages for non-acute surgery. Taxing people to the brink is not the answer and will make the UK a poorer place for everyone.

  3. Election commentspublished at 10:40 British Summer Time 29 April 2015

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  4. 'Shop in Witney'published at 10:37

    David Cameron

    After reassuring a nervy Jaguar LandRover employee about the various challenges of globalisation on his job security, David Cameron turns to a question about the shaky retail sector. He cites things like business rates relief scheme and business tax cuts as examples of measures the government will take. Small retailers on the high street have “faced a disadvantage” when struggling against internet retailers with a vast warehouse, the PM says. Mr Cameron says he wants to help the high street.

    He gets a laugh when he invites his audience to come shopping in his own constituency of Witney. “It’s a lovely high street, we’ve got free parking,” he says brightly. And after urging voters to back him over "the other guy", he wraps the event up.

  5. Wrong turn?published at 10:35 British Summer Time 29 April 2015

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  6. Tory strategistpublished at 10:35 British Summer Time 29 April 2015

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  7. Alienated Scots Toriespublished at 10:32 British Summer Time 29 April 2015

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  8. Helping small businessespublished at 10:31

    David CameronImage source, PA

    David Cameron, in case you're wondering, is speaking at Sertec in Coleshill, Birmingham. It's a company whose 600-strong workforce makes parts for Land Rover and Jaguar. Earlier - as pictured above - he visited a new Marks and Spencer site in Longbridge.

    He's asked if he'll step down if he doesn't deliver the tax lock within 100 days. Again, he said he's "seen the books". The pledge, as he puts it, is that he knows what needs to be done. Talk about being on message.

    One voter, who runs a small business in Birmingham, wants to know what the Conservatives will do for a company like hers. "After the banking collapse, businesses were finding they just couldn't get the loans and the assistance they needed," Mr Cameron says. He says the government is "mending" the banks and "nursing them back to health" through measures like the Funding for Lending scheme.

  9. Send us your commentspublished at 10:28 British Summer Time 29 April 2015

    Email: politics@bbc.co.uk

    Nick:

    I have read a lot recently in the press about tactical voting in this election. You can bet your bottom dollar that a high turn out may well indicate a large percentage of tactical voting. This is a flaw with the FPTP system, and all parties have encouraged it at some time or other although they will not all admit to it. I lived in Bath and the Lib Dems kept that seat for years helped by a large percentage of Labour voters voting tactically. Some tactical voting may be a protest vote, but some will purely be to keep certain parties out of power. This could really stuff up the polls. Time for PR but please not the STV system.

  10. Fond farewell?published at 10:27 British Summer Time 29 April 2015

  11. 'I've seen the books'published at 10:25

    David Cameron

    David Cameron looks right into the camera - rather unusually for this sort of the event - as he appeals to voters directly. “Who do you trust?” he asks. “We’re on our way - let us finish the job, let us not go back to square one.” And that’s the end of his speech. Time for questions, and the BBC's James Landale gets the first go. Why should voters trust him not to raise taxes - and why wasn’t the tax lock proposal in the manifesto? “I have seen the books. I know what needs to be done,” David Cameron replies. Wait - he said that in his speech! The incumbency card might just be an important message in the remaining days of the campaign.

    In his next answer he declares, yet again, "I've seen the books." It sounds rather a lot like he thinks he knows what needs to be done.

  12. More poll findingspublished at 10:22 British Summer Time 29 April 2015

    ITV newscaster

  13. Answer the questionpublished at 10:22 British Summer Time 29 April 2015

    The political editor of The Sun tweets

  14. 'Changing lives'published at 10:17

    David Cameron

    David Cameron plays the incumbency card over his tax lock pledge. "I've seen the books, I know what needs to be done," he says.

    The Tory leader says "take-home pay" will "go up with the Conservatives" and go down with Labour - because Ed Miliband would increase taxes. Mr Cameron gets a round of applause as, after a lot of finger-wagging and arm-waving, he says the country faces a clear choice. Reforming welfare, he says, will "save money and frankly that's important". He warns that the alternative to sticking to "the plan" is going back to the "bad old days". Mr Cameron doesn't even mention the £12bn figure proposed by the Tories to shrink the welfare budget. His focus is on changing people's lives.

  15. Get involvedpublished at 10:14 British Summer Time 29 April 2015

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    Steve:

    In response to Mike Allison's point re Scots voting tactically to 'lock out' the SNP, it's only a small majority who do not want independence so the 45% plus who voted YES will almost definitely vote SNP. Like it or not there will be a hung parliament and at last Scotland will have a real voice in London. It need not lead to chaos as parties will need to compromise and work together. Try it, it works!

  16. Add to the debatepublished at 10:13 British Summer Time 29 April 2015

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    Daily Politics viewer:

    Why does Cameron keep saying they've cleared the deficit? They haven't got anywhere near it despite 'pledging' to do so with his sleeves rolled up and all the rest of it at the last election.

  17. Pick pocketpublished at 10:12 British Summer Time 29 April 2015

    Political Correspondent, Daily Telegraph

  18. Have your saypublished at 10:09 British Summer Time 29 April 2015

    Email: politics@bbc.co.uk

    Christophe Adie:

    These tactical voting issues are casting a dark shadow over the once respected Great British democracy. Whatever happened to democracy having a positive impact upon change? If everyone intends to vote for or against who they think will win rather than who they would like to win then what's the point of the democratic process?

  19. 'The choices we've made'published at 10:09

    David Cameron

    Jumping speeches again to David Cameron who is now speaking in Birmingham, where he's talking about the budget deficit when he arrived in Downing Street. It was the biggest in the world, he tells his audience - but it's now been halved. "Those are the choices we have made, that is what you'll get if I go on being prime minister." Those shirt-sleeves are very much rolled up as he continues his new pumped-up approach to campaigning. He might be in a vest by this time next week...

    The prime minister turns his focus to Labour, a party he says doesn't want to see a budget surplus ever. He gets a bit of audience participation - 'no!' - as he asks whether they want a government that won't be prepared for an "ill wind".

  20. More on Miliband-Brand meetingpublished at 10:06 British Summer Time 29 April 2015

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