tweets, external: These 18 to 24-year-olds tell us what #GE2015 means to them... in one word http://bbc.in/1D6HhHc

A cross-party group of peers has dropped a second attempt to add the so-called "snoopers' charter" to the government's counter-terrorism bill. Lords King, Blair, Carlile and West wanted measures on communications data, rejected by the Lib Dems in 2012, to be included in the bill, saying they were vital tools for combating terrorism. But this evening they withdrew their amendment and it did not go to a vote.

The chief vet Nigel Gibbens says a "low severity" case of bird flu has been confirmed in chickens at a farm in Hampshire. "We are taking action to ensure that the disease does not spread or develop into a more severe form; we are investigating the possible sources of the outbreak," he said.

Asked about Conservative plans to convert more schools to academies (semi-independent state-funded schools), Kevin Courtney, from the National Union of Teachers, said they were a "distraction" from the problems in England's schools. More and more teachers were leaving the profession he said, and "in just the last month, we've been told by councils that they're reaching a crisis point on places for children in schools".

Andy Martin
BBC Ireland correspondent

More than 40 prisoners have been involved in an incident at Northern Ireland's high security jail, reports the BBC's Ireland correspondent Andy Martin. It's understood prison officers left a wing which houses dissident republicans, after some inmates verbally threatened them over increased security measures. The prisoners are secure, but are not currently in the cells and nobody has been injured.

BBC Newsnight
BBC Two, 22:30

Tonight on @BBCNewsnight, external: Evan Davis interviews Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, about university tuition fees; investment in education, the Labour Party's campaign, and more. Tune in to Newsnight at 22:30 on BBC Two to see, or catch up afterwards on BBC iPlayer.

Image source, GoV.UK

The Spectator

Image source, Associated Press

At The Spectator, Sebastian Payne says, external although Labour are tied with the Conservatives in Lord Ashcroft's latest poll and roughly half of respondents think the policies of the last few years have been the wrong ones, Ed Miliband's party "is still not trusted to run the country". Why? "The top reason is that voters fear Labour might spend and borrow more than the country can afford, closely followed by the perception they haven't made clear what it would do to improve things."

tweets, external: Britons want MORE government not LESS. That's broadly encouraging for the Left, bad for the Right https://yougov.co.uk/news/2015/02/02/voters-believe-government-should-do-more-not-less/ …, external

Half of young adults in the UK do not know what Magna Carta is, a survey , externalfor ITV News suggests. While seven out of 10 people as a whole correctly indentified it as part of Britain's constitution, among 18- to 34-year-olds, this figure dropped to five out of 10.

The four surviving copies of the 1215 Magna Carta, one of the most important legal documents in history, have recently been brought together to mark its 800th anniversary.

Image source, EPA

The Tories and Labour are still running neck and neck, according to the latest poll by the Conservative peer Lord Ashcroft, although both were down a point on last week at 31%. The Liberal Democrats are up two percentage points to 8%, but still trail Ukip, who are on 15% and the Greens, with 9%. The SNP were up a point at 4% in the telephone poll, which involved 1,002 adults between 30 January and 1 February.

Image source, Kate Granger

A hospital consultant who is terminally-ill has been backed by more than 90 NHS organisations in her campaign to get NHS staff to "Offer patients a name".

Labour's shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt, speaking to Channel 4 News, described David Cameron's announcements today as "very familiar old-school Tory policy", and said the government had found "tax cuts for millionaires, but not investment to support teachers, schools, early years, sixth form colleges".

Schools minister Nick Gibb, a Conservative MP, said not guaranteeing spending rises with inflation in the next parliament was difficult, but "a competent government has to take difficult decisions to ensure our public finances are on a sure footing".

tweets, external: For once Vince Cable gets on front foot over tuition fees with five questions Labour needs to answer | Vince Cable http://gu.com/p/45e58/stw , external

David Cameron says a future Conservative government would protect England's schools budget in cash terms, but per pupil funding would not keep pace with inflation. The prime minister said the government would provide a further £7bn for extra places for rising numbers of pupils. But Labour said Tory claims to protect funding were "unravelling" and represented a "real-terms cut".

Watch BBC News chief political correspondent Vicki Young give her analysis of the debate here.

tweets, external: There were 38 murders & 106 rapes committed in 2013 by offenders on bail in Eng/Wales - FOI from @MoJGovUK Ministry of Justice.

The Labour Party has released figures which it says show party membership is at its highest since 2005. The party said it had 194,269 members, up from the 189,531 it reported , externalat the end of 2013. Labour says this makes it "the biggest political party in the country going into the general election". The Conservatives recently said they had 224,000 paying members - up 30% in a year - although this includes their £1-a-year "supporters".

Image source, Getty Images

tweets, external: As Jan becomes Feb, polls are unchanged… LAB & CON exchanging leads (LAB in front more often). http://may2015.com/ , external

Image source, May2015.com

James Landale
Deputy Political Editor, BBC News

The BBC's deputy political editor James Landale takes a look at divisions within the Conservative Party on the question of so-called English votes for English laws: "The debate is getting more complicated and it could be about to get more bloody."

The Guardian

Responding to an earlier TNS poll for Radio 4 Woman's Hour, which revealed that more than one third of women are yet to decide who they will vote for on 7 May, Suzanne Moore in the Guardian says, external "for five years women have been in the frontline of cuts". She cautions: "The cost of ignoring women is huge for any political party. The actual cost of austerity has been paid for by women and children, often to devastating effect. Austerity, as it has been practiced, has been gendered."

tweets, external: Latest Populus VI: Lab 34 (-1), Con 31 (-3), LD 8 (-2), UKIP 14 (-), Others 13 (+6). Tables here: http://popu.lu/sVI020215 , external