Tweets, external: I can't sign up to keeping 2% defence spending but not have defence cuts as deep as Tories - @edballsmp @MarrShow

and

Tweets, external: Ed Balls - we have no plan, no need, no desire to have a deal with @theSNP @MarrShow

"We will not have defence cuts as big as the Tories," says Ed Balls. But that does not mean there will be no cuts - Labour would carry out a strategic defence review. He ducks the question of whether Labour would stick to Nato's target of 2% of GDP to be spent on defence.

Ball says that under his plan he would impose "sensible spending cuts as well fair tax rises at the top". He says his party could save "£500m from local government", "£250m from policing", "£70m from the courts". He says George Osborne's plan is an "ideological assault on the state".

Mr Balls says George Osborne's plan for the economy goes "way beyond" what is required. He instead proposing a "fair and balanced" alternative.

"It's not part of our plans"..... "It's nonsense". Ed Balls is pushed repeatedly to rule out a post election deal with the SNP. He does not categorically rule it out but repeats the phrases used by Labour leader Ed Miliband.

Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls hits back at criticism from the SNP that he has signed up to Conservative austerity plans. Mr Balls says it's "completely wrong and irresponsible" to not worry about the country's deficit and not want to balance the books but he would not go as far as the Conservatives.

There is much debate ahead of Wednesday's Budget around possible defence cuts, the BBC's business editor Kamal Ahmed says. He said there is a story in the Sunday Times , externaltoday which claims that "senior generals in the armed forces are considering leaving, such is the pressure on resources".

BBC's business editor Kamal Ahmed tells the Marr show that one of the ideas rumoured to be in Wednesday's Budget include "a tax cut by raising the threshold".

Tweets, external: blimey, whatever the politics, @George_Osborne and @edballsmp in it together; both got a lot of make up on this morning for marr #ge2015

The Andrew Marr Show is now on BBC One, guests set to be interviewed include Chancellor George Osborne and shadow chancellor Ed Balls, ahead of Wednesday's Budget.

Tweets, external: Heseltine: Enoch Powell more "intelligent" than Farage but "had the same irresponsible instinct - to mix up race relations with immigration"

Image source, PA

Later on today (13:00 GMT) Nick Clegg will attempt to rally his embattled troops at the Lib Dem spring conference by telling them the party is "here to stay", and will defy poor poll predictions in the general election. He will say: "It is because of our resilience that we have been able to achieve incredible things. And it is because of that resilience that we will defy the odds and win again this May. So when people tell you we can't, tell them where to go. I have a message for all those who are writing us off once again: the Liberal Democrats are here to stay." Get the full story here.

Image source, PA

UKIP leader Nigel Farage's autobiography continues to be serialised in the Telegraph today, external. Mr Farage said that UKIP would do a post-election deal with a potential minority Conservative government if there is an EU referendum in 2015. In his memoirs - entitled The Purple Revolution - the UKIP leader ruled out a formal coalition, saying voters would see it as "selling out". But he said he would agree to a pact to prop up a Tory government in return for an EU referendum before Christmas. On Saturday Mr Farage made headlines yet again after he said that he was "almost killed" by the National Health Service, when he had testicular cancer as a young man, and said people should pay for private health care if they can.

Allowing pensioners to cash in an existing annuity is expected to be included in George Osborne's Budget on Wednesday. The changes, which are not expected to come in before April 2016, could affect five million people. Reforms announced last year that allow working people to cash in their pension savings will take effect on 6 April. BBC political correspondent Alex Forsyth said these measures had "an obvious political point - to attract older voters". Get the full story here.

Image source, Reuters

Among the political stories making heading headlines today is shadow chancellor Ed Balls's article in the Sunday Mirror, external where he warns that when George Osborne delivers the budget on Wednesday he "won't be able to run away from five years of failure and broken promises".

"Working people are worse off. Independent experts at the Institute for Fiscal Studies say that tax and benefit changes since 2010 have cost families an average of £1,127 a year," he adds.

Morning and welcome to the campaign countdown live page. It is now just 53 days until the election. We'll be bringing you rolling coverage of all the latest news, reaction and analysis to the main political stories on what looks set to be a busy day. First up is Chancellor George Osborne being grilled about Wednesday's Budget on The Andrew Marr show. Here's how Friday played out.