"The real answer to providing first class education in this country is to provide grammar school places," UKIP's deputy leader and education spokesman Paul Nuttall has said.

Speaking as the prime minister announced the expansion of the free school programme, he said: "This proposed expansion is being heralded as providing parents with 'a real choice'. But a real choice would be allowing grammar schools to be opened. They provide a level playing field for all children, regardless of background, and give them the best chances in life."

"When I champion the opening of a brick factory, it's not because I like bricks," says the PM. "When I open a new school, it's not because I like cutting ribbons or taking selfies with the kids." He says it's because he wants more parents to feel secure in their children's education.

Overall, a million more children are in good or outstanding schools than five years ago, but I want to do more, David Cameron says. He wants to overhaul all those he calls "coasting schools" - those judged by Ofsted to be "requiring improvement". He also says he wants to create many more free schools - at least 500 over the course of the next five years - creating some 270,000 more school places.

Here is a summary of the three main problems David Cameron says are facing housing in the UK:

1) Mortgage rates are too high. "By cutting the deficit we are keeping them low," he says.

2) Many can afford the mortgage repayments, but not the initial deposit for a house. The average age of the first-time buyer the prime minister says has risen to 37 years, which he describes as a "scandal". He says the government's "Help to Buy" scheme has helped 88,000 more people to buy their own homes.

3) Not enough homes are being built for people to buy.

tweets:, external Cameron says it is a "scandal" that the average age of first time buyer without parental help is 37...

Sam and I are happy because we know she'll be looked after and get a good education, says Mr Cameron of his daughter Nancy's place in secondary school. But he acknowledges that many parents don't feel like that. They worry whether their child's education will be good enough, he says; whether they'll be able to hear their teacher over all the noise in class.

A home of your own - that, says the PM, is another key aspect of that security. We need to build more houses. "We want more children to have a bedroom to call their own," he says.

tweets:, external 'We'll rule it out eventually..they hate us + we hate them' - shadow minister on Lab-SNP 'deal' while Tories use every chance to spread idea

tweets:, external "Security at every stage of your life", pledges Cameron #GE2015

We want to make sure families don't just get by, they get on, the PM says. We want people to keep more of the money they earn and will aim to raise the income tax personal allowance to £12,500.

The focus on families - and individuals' quality of life - by Mr Cameron is no doubt designed to be a reply to Labour's claims that the economy might be recovering, but people don't feel better.

Next week's Budget will be centred around Britain's families and the key theme will be security, David Cameron tells the audience. First on the list for a secure life is a secure job. The PM insists the jobs being created are good quality, well paid and often highly skilled.

"My number one goal is to turn this long-term economic plan into a plan for you and your family," the PM says. I want you to feel this recovery, he says, and that is beginning to happen. Watch the speech using the Live Coverage tab at the top of this page.

David Cameron is at the podium and beginning his speech at a secondary school in Isleworth, west London.

All this talk of defence spending comes as the Royal United Services Institute think tank predicts that up to 30,000 more military personnel could lose their jobs whoever wins the general election. Its report, external says the combined strength of the Army, Navy and RAF could fall from 145,000 to 115,000 by 2020. More in our full story.

Just a heads up, we're expecting to hear from the prime minister in the next 15 minutes. He'll be talking education and discussing his plans for 500 more free schools if he hangs onto the keys to No 10 after 7 May.

tweets:, external Kenneth Baker cunning or stupid to float ConLab grand alliance? Won't happen but hurts Lab, boosts SNP. He isn't cunning

Image source, PA

Nick Clegg was also asked about the increasingly hot topic of defence spending this morning and he didn't miss the chance for a swipe at his coalition colleagues. "At some point the Conservative Party has got to come clean. They cannot have their cake and eat it," he said. "They cannot embark on this right-wing lurch towards an ever-shrinking state and also somehow pretend that they can fund everything... you can't. Something has to give."

tweets:, external IFS corrects #wato presenter by pointing out raising basic rate tax threshold helps "middle and higher earners" the most

tweets:, external Tory response to @edballsmp claims over £70bn spending cuts involves TWO mentions of @theSNP in just three paragraphs

BBC Radio 4

Still catching up with a packed World at One. Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, external, told the programme there "a big difference" between the spending plans of Labour and the Conservatives, but he wouldn't agree with Ed Balls' assertion that the true figure for George Osborne's cuts was £70bn. Mr Johnson said: "I don't know about the £70bn. You can talk about all sorts of different numbers. The £70bn takes a particular set of assumptions, and in particular, says that the Conservatives will do what the autumn statement numbers say they will do, which is a bit different, actually, to the fiscal rules the Conservatives have set themselves."