Could a Labour government cap energy bills by this winter? Sebastian Chrispin has been taking a look.

He writes the proposal is "technically possible", but adds: "The timing is likely to be incredibly tight. Labour would need to pass primary legislation, likely to be followed by the drafting of sector specific rules by Ofgem. This process would need to factor in some time for consultation.

"Once rules are in place, Ofgem would have to conduct a review to determine a "fair price" for energy bills. And this all assumes that the government and Ofgem are able to form a clear idea of what has to be done.

"So there is a lot to do in a very short timescale. Further problems could arise if rules are passed quickly, making them more susceptible to legal challenge. The first day of winter is officially 22 December."

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More on Labour's energy policy. Asked on Daily Politics whether a future government could force Ofgem to cut prices, shadow minister Tom Greatrex says the watchdog would have the "duty and responsibility" to ensure that falls in wholesale prices are passed onto the consumer in full and he expected the regulator to do so.

Downing Street has denied reports there has been a lack of consultation with the White House over the UK's decision to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. A No 10 spokesman said it had been discussed at the G20, with senior officials and in the international network of finance ministers as well as with US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew . The spokesman also denied Britain had been "too passive" in its relations with China. "Our judgment is being a founder member of the bank is the best way of shaping the governance of the institution", he said, emphasising that the UK saw the bank as being "complimentary" to other institutions such as the World Bank. He added: "Sometimes we take a different approach to the US".

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The Liberal Democrats are gathering for their spring conference in Liverpool today. They have been warned they face a "long, hard" election campaign by leader Nick Clegg. In a foreword to the conference agenda, Mr Clegg says: "The next few days are an opportunity for our party to come together and prepare ourselves for the long, hard campaign ahead." A number of high-profile Lib Dem MPs, including Mr Clegg, are at risk of defeat in the general election, according to some polls.

Sarah Vine is still trending on twitter hours after her This Week appearance over newspaper ethics and the coverage of Justine Miliband in the Daily Mail. She was speaking to Michael Portillo, Alan Johnson and Andrew Neil about how the media covers politics and her article about the wife of the Labour leader. Ms Vine, the wife of Tory Chief Whip Michael Gove, said she had suffered abuse on Twitter after publication. Mr Portillo told her: "I don't want you to be more sympathetic, I want you to be less abusive" Watch the debate here.

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The Liberal Democrats have pledged to help thousands of first-time buyers take the first step on to the property ladder through the provision of "rent-to-own" homes if they are in government after the general election in May. Nick Clegg said the scheme would enable young people in England currently priced out of the housing market to build up a share in their home through monthly payments, equivalent to rent, without the need to save for a large deposit.

George Osborne is preparing to deliver the last budget of this Parliament on Wednesday. What should we be looking out for? Should we expect some sweeteners ahead of the election? BBC assistant political editor Norman Smith, economics editor Robert Peston and business editor Kamal Ahmed have been sharing their thoughts.

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Labour leader Ed Miliband (left) and Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg talk at the Afghanistan commemoration ceremony.

After his publicity skydive was cancelled because he weighed more than the requisite 14st 7lb (92kg) limit, 6ft 3in comic Al Murray said he was unaware how much he weighed. He was asked whether Friday the 13th was the best day to perform such a stunt. Murray, dressed in his trademark burgundy blazer, said: "I'm a true British man - I neither cry nor weigh myself on scales. Those are my values." Mr Murray is standing against candidates including UKIP leader Nigel Farage in South Thanet at the general election.

Comedian Al Murray, in his guise as the Pub Landlord, is standing against UKIP leader Nigel Farage in the general election. His planned skydive at Headcorn Aerodrome near Ashford today was cancelled when he learned that he was heavier than the 14st 7lb (92kg) limit.

Murray blamed the metric scales he was weighed on and insisted the abandoned attempt now proved he was officially a "political heavyweight".

He told reporters: "Unfortunately today's stunt - and that was exactly what it was, a stunt to garner publicity it might generate - has had to be cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. It seems that I am too heavy to jump. It's a double whammy. Not only am I another tragic victim of this country's obesity epidemic, but also I have been held back by health and safety gone mad."

More here.

A bit more from Adam Fleming in Thanet:

"The comedian Al Murray has said he has been forced to cancel plans to parachute in to Thanet today as part of his campaign to be elected MP for the area.

"He claims that organisers of the sky-dive have told him he can't take part as he is over the official weight limit of 15 stone."

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The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has made a statement following news that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange could be questioned by Swedish authorities in London (he was to be extradited there for questioning over sex crime allegations before ensconcing himself in the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2012): "Mr Assange is wanted in Sweden to answer allegations about serious sexual offences, and it is for the Swedish prosecutor to decide how and where that takes place. The UK remains willing to facilitate the Swedish prosecutor as necessary. However, whilst Mr Assange continues to be outside the reach of the UK authorities, voluntarily providing a statement or taking part in an interview are issues which should be agreed between the Swedish prosecutor, Mr Assange and the Ecuadorian embassy."

Image source, Getty Images

Today the Kensington Conservatives will select a parliamentary candidate to replace Sir Malcolm Rifkind, who announced he was standing down from Parliament after the latest "cash-for-access" row. The Tory candidate will be one of three people - Charlotte Vere, Shaun Bailey, or Victoria Borwick. The winning candidate will be chosen at a special general meeting. We'll bring you the result later.

Adam Fleming
The Daily Politics

The comedian Al Murray has cancelled a planned skydive as part of his general election campaign because he is over the safe weight limit of 15 stone. In a statement to the media he blamed an unreliable set of scales.

In his interview with Forces TV, Tony Blair also admitted he did not foresee how long a struggle against militants in Afghanistan would take when he first deployed troops in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. And he claimed the west still did not fully comprehend the scale of the problem.

He said: "I think we have not yet understood the depth of this problem, the scale of it, and the need for a comprehensive strategy to deal with it.

"It is not just Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.... It is happening day in and day out - there are thousands of people losing their lives every few weeks."

BBC News Channel

Labour shadow minister for justice Dan Jarvis, who used to serve with the Parachute Regiment, says that debate about how much the UK actually managed to achieve in Afghanistan needs to be had, but not today. "I think very significant progress has been made in Afghanistan, it is a much better country than it was in 2001, it is more peaceful, more stable," he says. "Today really is about the fallen, it's about supporting the families, it's about us coming together as a country to recognise the sacrifice and the service of those people who didn't come back," he adds.

Some more from Tony Blair's interview with Forces TV. He says boots will be needed on the ground to defeat so-called Islamic State.

"They don't necessarily have to be our boots although it's important always to understand that our armed forces - the Americans and the British - are most capable, partly because of what we've gone through of really fighting these people," he said.

"I understand the political difficulty today as result of Afghanistan and Iraq, but I think we have also got to ask ourselves this question: 'Is that difficulty a result of the way that those campaigns are conducted, or is that difficulty inherent in the problem we are dealing with. I think it's inherent in the problem we are dealing with."

The Daily Telegraph

Chancellor George Osborne is thinking about allowing six million pensioners who have annuities to be able to cash them in by including measures in next Wednesday's Budget, according to the Telegraph, external. From next month, people will be able to cash in their pension savings when they retire rather than purchase an annuity, which provides an annual income. But people who already have annuities are currently excluded from the scheme.

Former prime minister Tony Blair has been speaking about the threat of militant Islamism ahead of today's memorial service to mark the end of UK involvement in the Afghan conflict. Mr Blair believes western governments still have not fully grasped the scale of the threat. In an interview with Forces TV, he says Britain and its allies needed to commit to a "long haul" struggle to defeat groups like the self-proclaimed Islamic State - if necessary intervening militarily against them.