Here's a quick recap of today's political stories:

• Chancellor George Osborne appeared on the Andrew Marr Show and promised "no giveaways, no gimmicks" in Wednesday's Budget. He is expected to announce tax cuts by raising the personal allowance threshold, as well as allowing pensioners to cash in annuities

• Ed Balls, also on the Andrew Marr Show, challenged Mr Osborne to a head-to-head debate and made the chancellor shake on it live on television

• Former Lib Dem Leader Paddy Ashdown has publicly slapped down colleague Tim Farron after he criticised the party leadership's handling of the coalition. Farron later pledged allegiance to Nick Clegg

• Meanwhile Mr Clegg himself said his party was "here to stay," in a speech to the Lib Dem spring conference in Liverpool, and will defy poor poll predictions in the general election

• Elsewhere, Nigel Farage announced UKIP was prepared do a post-election deal with a potential minority Conservative government, but only if there is an EU referendum in 2015. George Osborne dismissed the idea as "nonsense"

• And finally, it was revealed that Labour's Rotherham MP Sarah Champion claimed £17 on expenses for the cost of a Remembrance Day poppy wreath.

That's it for us for today. We'll be back with all the latest news and reaction from 06:00 GMT on Monday. Good night.

Another amusing titbit to emerge from UKIP leader Nigel Farage's memoirs - entitled The Purple Revolution - includes his recollection of the when former Tory MP Mark Reckless defected to his party.

In extracts which are being serialised in the Daily Telegraph, external, he writes: "Mark turned up in dark glasses and a baseball cap so that the neighbours wouldn't recognise him. He was convinced that he was being followed, most likely by someone at Conservative central office."

The Spectator

Spectator editor Fraser Nelson highlights some economic "bloopers", external that won't be in Chancellor George Osborne's Budget Speech on Wednesday. Mr Osborne's pledge to abolish the deficit by the election is the "single biggest failure of his five years," writes Nelson. The speed of economic recovery, sluggish growth in average earnings and increasing government borrowing are also listed as fails - but it is not all bad news as the chancellor has presided over an increase in employment levels.

Tim Farron - tipped as a future Lib Dem leader, external - has pledged his loyalty to Nick Clegg after criticising the party's performance in coalition under Mr Clegg's leadership. He was subsequently slapped down by former leader Lord Ashdown, who said he lacked judgement.

Pressed for a reaction to Ashdown's comments, at the party's spring conference in Liverpool, he heaped praise on the deputy prime minister, saying he had delivered a "stonking speech" that had given the party the boost it needed to go into the general election.

"From my point of view, the real point of us being here is get behind Nick, get behind the push forward," he told BBC News.

Sarah Champion, the Labour MP for Rotherham, has come in for some criticism after she claimed £17 on expenses for the cost of a Remembrance Day poppy wreath. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) said MPs were not allowed to make such claims and was seeking repayment from Miss Champion. Campaign group The Taxpayers' Alliance described it as "downright low". Miss Champion has yet to issue a response. Get the full BBC story here.

The news has also been provoking comment on Twitter with Professor Matthew Goodwin - author of a highly-regarded book on the rise of UKIP, Revolt on the Right - tweeting, external: This won't help Labour's fight in Rotherham , external

We have been asking for your opinions on the political stories of the day. Here are a selection of a couple of them. You can get in touch by click on the "Get Involved" tab above.

Graeme Lowe:

So Ed Balls says Labour 'don't need to do a deal with the SNP'. How else will they manage to form a majority government? 'It is as inevitable as night following day. 'Don't need to' is a million miles away from 'won't'. Decision made: Salmond with influence at Westminster is the stuff of nightmares - I won't be voting Labour.

Barry Mylam:

Dear BBC, Can all your interviewers please make politicians (from all parties) answer the question. Not go on about their twisted propaganda about what the other side will do. Try saying to them "if you won't answer the question we will end the interview now" and then do it. Or whenever they go on about what they think the others will do bleep it out. You would not have to do it for long before they changed their approach. Why don't politicians understand that they all look like evasive liars and this is one of the reasons people are getting fed up with the main parties and politics in general.

Former Primer Minister Tony Blair has called for an "education for open minds" in tackling radicalisation among young people. The former UK prime minister said faith schools of all kinds needed to make sure pupils understood the beliefs of other religions. Get the full story here.

tweets: , externalThe coalition. It's *still* here. Even optimists assumed there would be a pro forma separation several months before the election.

tweets: , externalA senior Lib Dem source tells me Labour have been putting out feelers

Again, in case you missed it, here is the moment Chancellor George Osborne confirmed that pension law changes would be in the Budget which would allow up to five million people to cash in existing annuities.

Tweets, external: Predictions for Budget: 1 take from rich & give to those on low to middle incomes; 2 planned public spending/GDP won't go to 1930s level

For those that missed it, here's some analysis from political pundits on the BBC's Sunday Politics about what might be in Wednesday's Budget.

Here's a quick recap of today's political stories:

• Ed Balls on the Andrew Marr Show challenged his opposite number George Osborne to a head-to-head debate and made Osborne shake on it live on television

• Former Lib Dem Leader Paddy Ashdown has publicly slapped down colleague Tim Farron after he criticised the party leadership's handling of the coalition

• Meanwhile Nick Clegg said his party was "here to stay" at the Lib Dem spring conference in Liverpool, and will defy poor poll predictions in the election

• Chancellor George Osborne also appeared on the Andrew Marr Show and promised "no giveaways, no gimmicks" in this week's Budget

• And finally Nigel Farage has said UKIP would do a post-election deal with a potential minority Conservative government, but only if there is an EU referendum in 2015

Tweets, external: Labour & the Tories have been exchanging leads, external in the polls for the past 3 months (5-day avg)…

Image source, Twitter

The Guardian

Andrew Rawnsley at the Guardian has written a piece about what he believes will be the likely outcome after the general election. "The truth that dare not speak its name: no one will win on 7 May, external," he writes. He adds that David Cameron and Ed Miliband "look detached from reality" for not admitting it.

Many of Nick Clegg's senior colleagues believe he is preparing to fight his final general election, says BBC Political Correspondent Ross Hawkins.

Several MPs have told Ross there is an unspoken assumption that he will stand down as Liberal Democrat leader in the next Parliament - whatever the result in May. Read the full piece here.

Tweets, external: Hug from Miriam, ovation, TV crew scrum, all the big speech choreography but it was an election rally (and weeks from election why not)

and

Tweets, external: A touch here of go back to your constituencies and prepare for a bloody fight with our coalition partners

Nick Clegg told the Lib Dem faithful they would "defy the odds" at the general election. But what about the odds of his own survival? Bookmakers William Hill reckon he is unlikely to be party leader by the end of 2015. They are offering 2/5 that he will have been replaced by then. Former party president Tim Farron is 8/11 odds-on favourite to succeed Mr Clegg as Lib Dem leader - and the Party is a 2/1 chance to be part of a coalition government following the general election. Mr Farron was earlier slapped down by Lord Ashdown for suggesting coalition would damage the party for a generation. Read more here.

Mr Clegg waves to the crowd and hugs his wife as he finished his speech in Liverpool. He closed his speech by saying: "If you want a government that will create opportunities for everyone, vote Liberal Democrat. This is a fight for our future, for the decent values of our country - we can and we must win."

Clegg adds: "Five years ago we were told a hung parliament would be a disaster for Britain. We were told that without a clear majority for one of the old, establishment parties, Britain would collapse into chaos. We proved them wrong." He went on to say that the Lib Dems "proved that coalition can be strong, stable and successful".