BBC Free Speech is live on BBC Three, with Labour's Ed Miliband the first party leader to face a grilling from young voters. He's among seven political leaders who'll be put through their paces in the coming weeks...

tweets:, external Ed's in the house chatting to our production team. We're about to go live on @bbcthree #AskMiliband. IT'S ON!

This week's Question Time is in Leeds - and on the panel are Conservative defence minister Anna Soubry, former leader of the Liberal Democrats Charles Kennedy, Labour's shadow minister for the Cabinet Office Lucy Powell, Green Party leader Natalie Bennett and Private Eye editor and broadcaster Ian Hislop. Follow all the action here...

Channel 4

Labour MP Hazel Blears, who was being interviewed about today's Intelligence and Security Committee report on surveillance, also tells Channel 4 News there was "no pressure" from fellow committee members on former chairman Sir Malcolm Rifkind to step down after he featured in an undercover Daily Telegraph investigation.

Some of the young people getting ready to quiz Ed Miliband have told the BBC News Channel what their main concerns are - jobs and greater representation for women. The Labour leader will be facing the young voters shortly, live on BBC Three. We'll bring you a flavour of what happens.

A bit more on the Commons vote this afternoon urging the government to continue to meet Nato's 2% defence spend target. The vote is not binding on the government, and Defence Minister Philip Dunne told MPs a post-election spending review would set defence expenditure after 2016. "It is not just about 2% of GDP," he said. "It is about how you spend it and what you are prepared to do with it." The BBC story is here.

Andrew Neil reviews the political week with Alan Johnson, Miranda Green and Michael Portillo on This Week. Journalist Sarah Vine will speak in defence of Justine Miliband's comments that politics is getting more personally vicious, while Jane Moore will round up the week in a film. And 19-year-old Tyger Drew-Honey, who starred as a child in the BBC's Outnumbered, will talk about issues affecting teenagers in the internet age. This Week is live at 23:45 GMT and desktop viewers can watch via the Live Coverage tab above.

Image source, PA

...Ask him anything. Ed Miliband will be gunning for the elusive youth vote on BBC Three at 8pm. The Labour leader is facing an audience of more than 100 young people aged 16 to 34. It's being billed as an "unscripted hour of tough and uncensored questions" covering everything from immigration "to his difficulty eating bacon sandwiches" (bet he can't wait for that one). You can watch I'm Ed Miliband, Ask Me Anything here later, if you haven't got time tonight. Our colleagues at BBC Three's Free Speech have also put together a handy guide to The Labour Party for younger viewers.

BBC Newsnight
BBC Two, 22:30

DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds says Ed Miliband would have to offer a referendum on Europe to win DUP support for any government he may try to form after the election. Asked if he would withhold support for Mr Miliband unless he delivers a referendum, Mr Dodds said: "I think an EU referendum needs to be part of what is on offer to the British people after the election, whoever is prime minister." Mr Dodds, who leads the DUP at Westminster, also said his party would find it "difficult" to support a government that included the SNP. "They are fundamentally out to break the United Kingdom, break up the UK, and we are very very staunch in our belief that the Union should be maintained," he added.

Another shift change here at Politics Live. Dominic Howell has headed home for the evening. Brian Wheeler and Gerry Holt will be taking you through to midnight, with live coverage of Question Time and Ed Miliband facing questions from an audience of young people on BBC Three (more on that shortly).

Image source, BBC News

Conservative Chief Whip Michael Gove is to say his party needs to "affirm that we are warriors for the dispossessed" to win the election, in a speech at the launch of The Good Right, a new pressure group aimed at promoting compassionate Conservatism. He will say his party has led a progressive government but voters need to be persuaded that it has not made cuts for ideological reasons. "Only if we remind people of our commitment to social justice, demonstrate our belief in equality of opportunity and affirm that we are warriors for the dispossessed will we be able to win arguments, and elections, and then be in a position genuinely to help the vulnerable and the voiceless," he is expected to say.

New riot damages laws will allow victims of mass public disorder to get higher value compensation and cover cars and other vehicles for the first time, Police Minister Mike Penning has announced. The new draft Bill will replace the "outdated" 1886 Riot (Damages) Act and will pay out higher value compensation by providing "new for old" replacements for destroyed or damaged goods. Mr Penning said the old laws were "no longer fit for the 21st Century" and would be replaced with "a system that is practical, flexible and will meet the needs of any future compensation claims".

Len Tingle
Political editor, BBC Yorkshire

Labour has announced it will pick its candidate to defend the key West Yorkshire marginal seat of Halifax from an all-women shortlist. Sitting Labour MP Linda Riordan announced last month she was stepping down after 10 years because of ill health. Her majority in 2010 was cut to just over 1,400 votes. Potential candidates have until Monday to apply and a shortlist will be drawn up early next week by the party's national executive. Local Labour Party members will meet on 21 April to make the final choice.

Tweets, external: Ally of William Hague denies diplomatic rumour that he's in the frame for Commonwealth general-secretary: "Categorically no truth in it."

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt says GPs' pay is set to increase by 1% from April. He earlier told MPs the government intends to accept the recommendation made by the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration. In a written statement, he said the overall funding increase for general medical practitioners when expenses are included will be 1.16% and the uplift for general dental practitioners will be 1.34%.

Image source, PA

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has given an interview to Forces TV in which he has said western governments still have not fully grasped the scale of the threat posed by militant Islamists. He said Britain and its allies needed to commit to a "long haul" struggle to defeat groups like Islamic State (IS) - if necessary intervening militarily against them. Speaking on the eve of a service of commemoration to mark the end of combat operations in Afghanistan, Mr Blair admitted he had not foreseen just how long the struggle would last when he first deployed troops in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

Staying with the court case that has favoured UKIP MP Mark Reckless over his former Conservative colleagues, it has since transpired the press were not allowed into the hearing.

After today's hearing, local Tory party association member Stuart Tranter said he and the deputy district judge did not think "it would be helpful or necessary" to have the press present. He said: "It was a private hearing anyway, so there was no requirement. This is a civil case. This isn't like a criminal case. Because it was purely on technical arguments, we didn't want to be distracted."

tweets, external: True to form, more appalling comments from Nigel Farage. He might think racism no longer a problem in Britain, the rest of us disagree.

tweets, external: Well the media and politicians might not like me, but it's [sic] doesn't matter to the public:

Image source, @Nigel_Farage

Image source, Reuters

UKIP leader Nigel Farage has provoked criticism for saying concerns over race discrimination in the workplace are outdated. The BBC's Emma Thelwell has been looking at whether laws surrounding this issue are still needed. More here.