BBC News Channel

Image source, PA

The government's counter-terrorism strategy Prevent is under fire today from a Muslim former senior police officer Dal Babu, above. Hannah Stuart, from the Henry Jackson Society, says the community is "disenfranchised from the strategy" and it can only succeed if it regains trust. She also urges the government to "take a stronger line on what we're defending in terms of British values". Muslims are not second class citizens - it's the extremists who tell them they are, not the Prevent strategy, and the government need to make that much clearer, she argues.

tweets:, external Congratulations to Bangladesh on beating England in cricket World Cup - they'll be dancing in the streets of Chittagong

From Ed Balls, to balls of the sporting kind. England are out of the cricket world cup. Who will be the first politician to comment?

BBC News Channel

Ed Balls is asked what he says to the fact that the sort of levels of spending he's predicting under the Tories were actually last seen under Tony Blair's Labour government. He replies: "There was one year in 2000 when spending came down to that level and at the time everyone said our NHS was under huge pressure." We put more money in to fix that, he adds.

BBC News Channel

This is house of hammer horrors scaremongering, our own Norman Smith suggests to Ed Balls. Au contraire, says Mr Balls, all we've done today is look at the Autumn Statement, look at the government's commitments and point out that they don't add up.

So we've had one of the big set pieces of the day. Still to come, a speech from David Cameron on his education - and more specifically, free schools - policy, and a Cable-Clegg double-header on Lib Dem economic plans.

Image source, AP

James Molyneaux held his party together in the face of repeated challenges from the Democratic Unionist Party leader Ian Paisley. Current DUP leader Peter Robinson said Lord Molyneaux was "first and foremost a committed unionist". "Jim's leadership encompassed many difficult years for unionism and his skills were key to ensuring that the Ulster Unionist Party held together when there were competing viewpoints about how to move forward."

Daily Politics
Live on BBC Two

Politicians should not forget the role played by the local media "in shaping and supporting local communities" says the boss of one of the UK's biggest local newspaper groups. Ashley Highfield from Johnston Press said half of the population gets its news from local papers, radio and online media, and these are often overlooked by the national media. In a personal film he calls for a "more symbiotic relationship" between the BBC and the local press.

You can watch his film here and he joins Jo Coburn on Monday's Daily Politics around 12:30 GMT to discuss it.

Chris Buckler
BBC Ireland Correspondent

We're no strangers to big speakers here in Northern Ireland, but Jim Molyneaux was different. He was quiet, understated, a man who steadied the ship. He was someone who truly believed in the United Kingdom and to whom defending the union was the most important thing.

tweets:, external The last time govt spending was as low as '1930s levels' was ...err around 2001/02 when Labour chancellor was a chap called Gordon Brown

Here, external is the full text of Ed Balls' speech. The top line? The Conservatives might say they'll make £30bn of cuts, but, the shadow chancellor claims, the true figure is closer to £70bn.

Former UUP deputy leader Lord Kilclooney says Jim Molyneaux's "personality and clarity of thinking" helped keep the party together during his leadership. "I remember him as a great leader but one who was very quiet, made decisions, got on with the work and didn't waste time," he told the Stephen Nolan Show.

tweets:, external Every Labour MP & Peer to whom I've spoken thinks we should rule out any kind of deal with the SNP. What are we waiting for?

BBC News Channel

"I think there's quite a lot of hyperbole in what Ed Balls says, but it is true that no-one really believes that the scale of cuts set out by the Tories is credible. It is fair to say that the Conservatives' plans don't add up." That's the view of Jonathan Portes, director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.

Tim Reid
Political correspondent, BBC News

The shadow Chancellor Ed Balls has declined an opportunity to rule out a deal with SNP. He's also accused the Conservatives of attempting to scare the British public about the possibility of a Labour coalition with the nationalists. It comes on the day the Tories have unveiled a new poster campaign which shows the Labour leader Ed Miliband in the pocket of the former SNP leader Alex Salmond, who's standing for a Westminster seat again. The Tories have urged Labour to rule out a deal - as have some Scottish Labour MPs. Asked about a possible deal with the SNP, Mr Balls said: "We have had for the last 48 hours a scare from the Conservatives about the SNP and coalitions. It's a complete nonsense argument. We want a majority and that's what we are fighting for."

tweets:, external Conservative campaign email 'from' Eric Pickles has the subject line 'Dear Chum'. Just, no.

Ed Balls says the free bus pass for pensioners, TV licences for the over 75s and the pensions triple lock are all safe under a future Labour government. Winter fuel allowance, though, we already know, would be axed.

tweets:, external Ed Balls: a Labour Government would have an immediate strategic defence review. But he won't commit to spending 2pc of GDP on defence.

tweets:, external An SNP deal won't happen, say Lab MPs, but they can't decide whether to rule it out publicly in case it backfires. Read more., external

Image source, PA

Away from Ed Balls' speech, we learned in the last hour of the death of veteran Unionist politician James Molyneaux. Read more about his life and career here.