The former Foreign Secretary Dame Margaret Beckett has given short shrift to reporters asking her about the leak of Labour's manifesto.

Arriving for the "Clause Five" committee, which is meeting today to discuss the manifesto, Dame Margaret was asked if she was embarrassed by the leak, or she was responsible for it emerging. She replied tartly: "Oh don't be silly - I haven't seen the b****y  thing, have I?"

Labour's shadow chancellor spoke to a reporter earlier on his way to today's "Clause 5" meeting.

The leaked manifesto would be fully costed by the time it was launched next week and was a modern package, John McDonnell said.

UKIP has given more details of its plans for Britain's fishing industry.

Speaking in London this morning, Mike Hookem who is a member of the European Parliament, said the party would scrap the EU common fisheries policy as it applies to the UK in its entirety and enforce a new 200-mile limit around Britain's shores.

Mr Hookem said that sovereignty needed to be restored immediately to maximise the potential of Britain's fisheries and that the "net to plate value" of the industry was worth some £6.3 billion to the UK economy.  

Green Party of England and Wales co-leader Caroline Lucas has been launching its environment manifesto this morning.

She was critical of the lack of discussion about the environment in the political campaigning so far.

The Bank of England has trimmed its UK growth forecast for 2017, saying that household spending is slowing more quickly than expected.

The Bank trimmed its growth forecast to 1.9% from its previous estimate of 2.0% made in February.

It also held interest rates at 0.25%.

Before last June's referendum the pound was trading at about $1.47. It is currently trading around $1.29, down 12%.

The Bank also highlighted that its current forecasts were based on the assumption that "the adjustment to the United Kingdom's new relationship with the European Union is smooth"

Image source, PA

A left-wing political alliance co-founded by the late rail union leader Bob Crow will not field any candidates in the General Election and says it will support Jeremy Corbyn. 

The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) was the sixth largest party in the general and local elections of 2015, polling nearly 120,000 votes.

The coalition was launched in 2010 by the then General Secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, and backed by a number of trade unionists and "independent socialists." 

TUSC chairman Dave Nellist, a former Labour MP, said: "Ever since Jeremy launched his leadership bid in 2015, TUSC has been determined to support him against Tory and Blairite attacks and build the anti-austerity struggle that lay behind his success." 

Mr Nellist said the general election gave "working class people the opportunity to drive out the Tory government and, on this occasion, put a socialist in Number 10."

Image source, CBI

Policies in Labour's leaked manifesto would "risk putting the economy into reverse gear", the CBI's deputy director-general has said.

If reports of it are accurate "this is a manifesto that is past its sell by date", Josh Hardie said.

“A number of these policies risk putting our economy into reverse gear rather than moving forward to support business in creating an inclusive, innovative economy that works for people in all corners of the UK," he said. 

“Proposals to damage the UK’s flexible labour market and competitive markets will threaten jobs and prosperity. We await the final manifesto with interest.”

The BBC has issued a comment after a cameraman was injured in an incident involving a car carrying Jeremy Corbyn.

Jonathan Beale
BBC defence correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Labour’s defence policy appears towards the back of the leaked manifesto. 

At first glance it looks like the most controversial subject for the party’s been resolved. 

Labour’s committed to renewing the Trident Nuclear Weapons System, despite Jeremy Corbyn’s well-known opposition. 

His own concerns are reflected in a passage stating any prime minister should be "extremely cautious" about ever using the weapons of "mass destruction" and in setting out how Labour would work towards a world free of nuclear weapons.

There’s also another potential caveat. Labour would carry out an immediate review of all defence policy if it wins the election. That won’t please everyone in the military.  

The armed forces are still trying to fund and implement the 2015 defence review.

Like the Conservatives, Labour’s committed to spending 2% of the national income, or GDP, on defence - a Nato target. Though, interestingly, that’s the only mention of the alliance. More time’s spent talking about working with the UN.

Labour reminds the electorate that it’s the Conservatives and the Coalition that’s been responsible for the largest defence cuts in a generation. 

It promises to fully fund the armed forces in the future.  

But there’s still no specific pledge to protect numbers or on equipment. 

Instead the party’s focus appears to be on retention and on improving the lives of service families and veterans with better housing.

Andrew Neil
Presenter, The Daily Politics

Iain Watson
Political correspondent

Image source, PA

It’s not just Labour’s policies that have been exposed by the leaks of the manifesto – it’s the level of distrust at the very top of the Labour Party.

The draft document, which is now in the public domain, had a very limited circulation. 

Members of Labour’s National Executive that I have spoken to hadn’t seen it. Most – though not all – shadow cabinet members were shown only the sections which related to their policy areas. To prevent leaks...

And certainly the leak of a complete version of a draft manifesto before it has been formally discussed is unprecedented.

Sources close to Jeremy Corbyn say "100 per cent" they did not leak it - and were shocked around 8pm last night to hear it had leaked.

Sources close to both the party leader and the Unite leader Len McCluskey are pointing the finger at the party’s deputy leader, Tom Watson. 

They say this is all about 9 June – if an impression of chaos around Corbyn is created now, and Labour fails to get 30% of the vote on polling day, it will give his deputy a reason - or an excuse - to call for the leader’s resignation.

Sources close to Watson have categorically denied leaking the manifesto – they say this would be mad. They don’t want Labour to perform so badly that it becomes difficult to recover.

Image source, PA

BBC cameraman Giles Wooltorton is now on his way to hospital after the car carrying Jeremy Corbyn ran over his foot.

The incident happened as the Labour leader arrived at the Institution of Engineering and Technology in London, where a party meeting is due to take place as it deals with the fallout from the leak of its draft general election manifesto.

He's seen here being comforted by BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg just before he was loaded into an ambulance.   

Image source, Getty Creative Stock

What's buzzing on social media today? 

Drawing up an election platform is no easy feat, but some Twitter users appear to be outlining mock manifestos in a matter of minutes.

Social media users who support Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn are drawing up mock Conservative manifestos, while his critics say Labour think money grows on trees.

Read more

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Paul Nuttall believes he will "come under no pressure whatsoever" to resign as leader should UKIP fail to win any seats at the general election.

UKIP MEP Mike Hookem said Mr Nuttall had the "full support" of his fellow MEPs in Brussels after questions about his future were raised by reporters during a Westminster policy launch.

Mr Nuttall also initially appeared hesitant when asked if former leader Nigel Farage will be helping with his campaign to be elected MP for Boston and Skegness, noting: "I would think so." 

When pressed, he later said: "Yeah, of course, Nigel will come campaigning with me in Boston." 

Mr Nuttall failed in his by-election bid to become Stoke-on-Trent Central MP in February, with questions raised about the party's popularity with voters after it suffered heavy losses at this month's local elections. 

More from Unite boss Len McCluskey on the leaked Labour manifesto.... He told reporters the policies are "really really exciting", adding:

Asked if Labour voters want the policies in the draft manifesto, he said: "I absolutely do."

He said they would welcome a higher minimum wage, the abolition of zero-hour contracts and the nationalisation of the railways which described as "the most popular policy out there". 

Mr McCluskey said he would support the manifesto which emerges after agreement at a meeting of senior party and trade union figures in London today.