• The BBC, ITV, Sky and Channel 4 say they'll go ahead with their plans for three televised debates in the run-up to the general election - with or without David Cameron.

• The prime minister wants to take part in only one debate, involving seven party leaders, before the general election campaign proper begins

• The leader of the Green party, Natalie Bennett, has said they would introduce new wealth and financial transaction taxes to pay for social care for the over-65s

• Plaid Cymru say they will call for equal funding for Wales and Scotland in any Westminster coalition talks after the general election in May

• Researchers at Oxford University estimate the number of migrants settling in England increased by 565,000 in the past three years, with two-thirds coming from other EU countries

• UKIP leader Nigel Farage says he will "do his best" to avoid personal attacks on his opponents during the general election campaign

• Free TV licences and bus passes for pensioners would stay under a Labour government, Ed Miliband has said, but winter fuel allowances would be taken from better-off pensioners

• Drivers in England will get 10 minutes' grace before being fined if they stay too long in council-owned car parking spaces, the government has said

We're ending our coverage for the day now. Thanks for joining us - we'll be back on Sunday at 8am.

Tweets, external: Miranda Green tells us that a debate could change everything: "The 2 main parties are stuck neck and neck so something has to happen."

Here's a bit more from former Tory chairman Lord Baker who suggested the Tories might have to form a coalition with - wait for it - the Labour Party. (see previous entry 23:22 GMT)

He told BBC 5 live's Stephen Nolan show: "I'm not advocating there should be a coalition between Labour and Conservatives. What I would like to see is the two parties coming to some sort of agreement. First, I think there should be a constitutional convention to try to resolve how devolution should happen in our country. You can't have devolution just given by one part of our country - Scotland. You've got to take into account the effect of that on Wales, on Northern Ireland and on England itself, which seems to be left out altogether. That means separate parliaments and how voting should be conducted in parliaments.

"One of the real dangers is that the SNP would be led in the Commons by Alex Salmond, who is a very shrewd politician. He could secure even more levels of devolution. That would lead more to the break-up of the United Kingdom. I think it would be a considerable threat. "

BBC Newsnight
BBC Two, 22:30

The subject of the election TV debates once again featured on Newsnight tonight. Tony Blair's former speech writer, Philip Collins, said David Cameron was prime minister and he "should just get on with it" and have the debates. Journalist Mirander Green from Newsweek said she found Mr Cameron's "one-man block a bit reprehensible". But Tory peer Lord Finklestein said the debates would take " huge amount of time for everyone" away from the campaign trail - and that will also feature in Mr Cameron's decision as to whether he thinks it's advantageous to take part in them.

A former chairman of the Conservative Party says a "grand coalition" between Labour and the Tories might be needed after the election to stop the SNP from holding the balance of power if no single party has a working majority. In interviews with the Independent and BBC Radio 5 live, Lord Baker (Kenneth Baker) says such a deal could be needed to "save the United Kingdom". Former prime minister Sir John Major has warned that the SNP would enter any deal with Labour with the "overriding aim" of "prising apart" the union.

The Daily Mirror is reporting that David Cameron is planning to expand the free school network , externalif the Conservatives win the election. It says he is set to announce on Monday "plans for at least 153 new ones on top of the 255 already open". Free schools are funded by the state but are semi-independent.

In other news, large firms could be forced to reveal details of the gap between how much they pay male and female employees after the government agreed to implement the measure. The Liberal Democrats had been pushing for the policy in the face of Tory opposition, and Equalities Minister Jo Swinson said it was "fantastic news" that her party had won the "argument in government". The measure will be added to legislation currently going through parliament and could come into force within the next 12 months. The move will require firms with more than 250 employees to publish the difference between average pay for their male and female employees.

tweets:, external EXCL: David Cameron becomes first Tory PM to send his daughter to the local state secondary school, external

tweets:, external Saturday's Daily Mail front page: Exclusive - A mum, her son and THEIR baby #tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers

Image source, daily mail

Journalist Toby Young, who is the associate editor of The Spectator, told BBC News: "I don't think that a gladiatorial contest is the best way to assess the merits of the leaders.

"You only have to look what happen in 1960 in America there was a great debate between Nixon and JFK and those who heard the debate on the radio thought that Nixon was the out-and-out winner, but those who saw the debate on television by an overwhelming majority thought JFK was the winner, and that's because JFK had just come back from a sailing trip and was beautifully tanned, beautifully dressed, was much better looking than Nixon - but is that really how we want to assess who the best prime minister is? Who's the best looking? I don't think it is."

Image source, Indep

Lord Baker, the former chairman of the Conservative party, says the Tories and Labour should consider forming a grand coalition "to keep the UK together", reports tomorrow's Independent.

tweets:, external ITV Hosting a Secret 'Leaders' Debate' Next Friday, external

tweets: , externalWho do the BBC/ other broadcasters think they are? Completely unaccountable, now want to rig the election by deciding #electiondebate format

BBC Radio 4

Labour's shadow culture minister Chris Bryant has described David Cameron as "slippery" because he had argued in favour of the debates when he was in opposition, and now appears unwilling to get involved with them. He did however concede that former prime minister Tony Blair also rejected proposals to have a TV debate when he was in power.