BBC News Channel

Asked whether Ed Miliband should have taken the opportunity to show he supported business by attending the British Chambers of Commerce conference, Ed Balls responded: "Isn't it getting a bit trivial that we're jumping on this agenda about who came to which conference? Isn't the election about bigger things than that?"

BBC News Channel

Ed Balls tells the BBC: "What we hear from businesses up and down the country is that companies like Toyota, or Nissan or Honda, Rolls-Royce, big companies, Jaguar, they are investing in Britain to sell into the European Union single market and they are deeply fearful of what would happen if we were to leave. I want reform, I don't like the status quo, but if you advertise with a sign "we're thinking of leaving" that's how you lose allies and lose influence and that's what's going on with David Cameron."

BBC News Channel

Speaking after addressing the British Chambers of Commerce conference in London, Ed Balls told the BBC News Channel Labour had not completely ruled out holding an EU referendum. He said: "We've said if there is any proposal for any transfer of powers to the European Union there would be an in/out referendum - and we need to make sure we get reform in the European Union."

Ed Balls defended Labour's proposals for a "Mansion Tax". He told the British Chambers of Commerce conference: "I don't expect people with houses worth over £2m to celebrate paying an extra £250 a month to help us secure the future of the National Health Service, but when high-value properties are so relatively under-taxed and our NHS is under such pressure, it's an important part of a tough and balanced plan."

Norman Smith
BBC Assistant Political Editor

There were quite a few jokes about the "Bill Somebody" moment when he couldn't remember the name of chairman of their task force on Newsnight. Ed Balls goes down quite well at these business meetings and that may be one of the arguments why he is doing this rather than Ed Miliband, who is not here. There has been some private criticism of the Labour leader's non appearance by some of the BCC people here.

Norman Smith
BBC Assistant Political Editor

Ed Balls was very uncompromising over Labour's stance in that he regards leaving the EU as a potential disaster for the British economy, but also in attacking the idea of an early referendum floated by the boss of the BCC - he said that would be deeply destabilising. Much better, he said, to stay in the EU to argue your case for reform.

Ed Balls tells delegates at the BCC conference an early EU referendum would be "hugely destabilising". He adds: "Ed Miliband, Chukka and I are determined to work with you to improve the environment for business investment and productivity thorough an economic policy that tackles our weaknesses and backs our strengths and delivers more jobs because when working people and British business succeed then Britain succeeds too."

Ed Balls, speaking at the British Chambers of Commerce conference, said: "I agree with your director general John Longworth. Britain must lead the debate for reform in Europe, we must bang the table for change and for the EU to work better for Britain but we shouldn't flirt with an exit and put party interest above the national economic interest.

"So while I agree with John on the need to reform and about the damage the current uncertainty is doing to investment, I fear that every comment by senior cabinet ministers saying they would be happy or relaxed for us to walk out of Europe, and every hint that it could happen as early as next year before any meaningful reform could be achieved, only adds to the uncertainty and risk for British business. I fear that Britain walking out of the EU is the biggest risk to our economy in the next decade."

There is going to be a statement on Ukraine in the House of Commons at 12:30 GMT from Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond.

Shadow chancellor Ed Balls is addressing the British Chambers of Commerce conference. He tells business leaders gathered in London: "Britain has always succeeded and can only succeed in the future as an open trading nation backing wealth creation, winning investment and attracting companies and talent from around the world."

BBC News Channel

Speaking to the BBC News Channel, Business for Britain's Matthew Elliott added: "Both business and the British people want some serious powers back from the EU and that will take longer, particularly against a backdrop of Greece possibly leaving the eurozone. There's a lot going on in the EU at the moment - we can't rush this process."

BBC News Channel

Matthew Elliott, chief executive of Business for Britain, which supports calls for a referendum on the UK's membership of the EU, said: "I would be concerned that, if we hold it in 2016, the renegotiation process will be rushed and I think that if we are going to get the changes that we need to stay in the EU that we are probably going to need a longer process than that."

The Guardian

Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee says Labour is "lucky" the HSBC tax avoidance story broke, external "in a week already dominated by a tax avoidance row: it was a Tory blunder to put up the Monaco-dwelling head of Boots to call Labour a 'catastrophe', when his company pays a fraction of the UK tax it did before switching its base to Switzerland".

Hugh Pym
Health editor

With the NHS high on the list of voter priorities it is not surprising the government is keeping a close eye on the health service but, writing in his blog, BBC health editor Hugh Pym says high-level ministers are meeting weekly to monitor its activity - and asks whether they are too focused on the NHS.

The Constitution Unit, a research centre based at University College, London, has published a report recommending an end to prime ministers having the power to decide on the number of peers appointed and the balance between them. It says the number of members of the House of Lords needs to be cut from 850 to 600 at most. It also says peers should be appointed to reflect the share of party votes at general elections. You can read the full report here., external

Speaking after the European Court of Human Rights ruling on prisoner voting, a Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "The government has always been clear that it believes prisoner voting is an issue that should ultimately be decided in the UK. However, we welcome the court's decision to refuse convicted prisoners costs or damages."

Responding to questions about whether Labour is doing enough to win over business, former Business Secretary Lord Mandelson tells the BBC: "You must never use language or even body language, let alone what you say, that creates the impression that you are for or against any section of society of the economy. We need people working together, there has to be a collaboration between business and government, between politicians and entrepreneurs."

The Daily Telegraph

Who's winning the Twitter election? The Daily Telegraph's Jamie Bartlett has been looking at how politicians use and monitor the website, external - and how the public is responding.

The European Court of Human Rights ruling that prisoners' rights to free elections are being breached by the UK was brought by prisoners who were in jail during various elections between 2009 and 2011.

Clive Coleman
Legal correspondent, BBC News

This is the fourth time the UK has been found to be in violation in relation to its blanket ban on convicted prisoners getting the vote. This is a saga that goes back a decade and now there's a sort of stand-off. In 2010 the UK was given six months to get some legislation in place, there is now a draft bill before Parliament that has three options - either that prisoners serving less than four years get the vote, that those serving less than six months do so, or that everything stays as it is now. In the interim Parliament itself has voted on this issue and has rejected very strongly any change to the existing law. We've got a stand-off - nothing is going to happen now until after the next election.