Image source, PA

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper has called for a full independent investigation into allegations of corruption relating to child sex offences from the 1970s to the 2000s. The Independent Police Complaints Commission is to investigate claims that officers covered up evidence that politicians and police were involved in sexual abuse of children. Ms Cooper said: "Given the gravity of the crimes being investigated, it is worrying that this is not a fully independent investigation.

"For too long the voices of abused children have been ignored and the crimes against them have gone un-investigated. In too many cases, people in a position to protect children failed to act and let them down. In the worst cases, there were attempts to undermine or discredit children reporting abuse."

On the Telegraph website, Euan McColm has been looking Ed Miliband's comments on a coalition with the SNP. He highlights that it is a formal coalition that has been ruled out - but says the nationalists could still play an important role after the election. He writes: "There may be no SNP ministers in a future Labour-led Government but, should Miliband require the party's support to pass legislation, the quid pro quo would be further concessions to the nationalists.". More here, external.

House of Commons
Parliament

In the Commons, Labour MP Heidi Alexander asks about Conservative Party chairman Grant Shapps - a former housing minister - who said he "screwed up" in a recent interview when he suggested he never had a "second job" while an MP. She asks Eric Pickles whether he is "satisfied that this did not happen while the honourable member served as a minister is his department".

The Speaker intervenes to tell the House that it is "not the responsibility of the secretary of state to answer". The ministerial code is the responsibility of the prime minister, he says.

Good afternoon from Nick Eardley and Angela Harrison. We're taking over the Live Page for the rest of the day. Here's a brief recap of where we're at so far on Monday:

• Ed Miliband has ruled out Labour going in to formal coalition with the Scottish National Party after the election, but he hasn't ruled out a looser deal

• Nicola Strugeon has told an audience in London the SNP could help overhaul the UK's "crumbling" institutions

• Conservative Party chairman Grant Shapps admitted he "screwed up" when he suggested he never had a "second job" while an MP

• Mr Shapps admitted he had "over firmly" denied continuing his work as a web marketing expert after being elected in 2005

• UKIP has been added to the list of parties entitled to at least two party election broadcasts, Ofcom has said, but the Greens have not

• A "radical" review of the business rates system in England has been launched, with its findings due in time for the Budget in 2016

We'll be with you until midnight, with updates on all the latest political news and analysis.

tweets, external: Ashcroft National Poll, 13-15 March: CON 31%, LAB 29%, LDEM 8%, UKIP 15%, GRN 8%. Full details on @ConHome, 4pm.

New Statesman

Over on the New Statesman website, George Eaton has been looking at the meaning of today's announcement by Ed Miliband that he would not enter into a formal coalition with the SNP. He suggests it might not be as significant as it first appears, writing: "The SNP has long made it clear that it does not want a formal coalition with Labour and is instead seeking a confidence and supply arrangement... It is this option that Miliband has conspicuously failed to rule out - and wisely so." More here, external.

Daily Politics
Live on BBC Two

The general election is not about Scottish independence, but the SNP is calling for "progressive change" over austerity, the NHS and Trident policy, says its deputy leader.

Stewart Hosie said his party was "being open and upfront" about its policies, and May's poll was about "holding Westminster's feet to the fire".

He told Jo Coburn on the Daily Politics that a formal coalition with Labour was the "least likely outcome". Watch the interview

House of Lords
Parliament

Founder and Chairman of Migration Watch UK, Lord Green of Deddington, uses his first intervention in the House of Lords to warn that if net migration is allowed to continue at the present rate for "the next 10 years we will need to build the equivalent of the city of Birmingham every two years".

Home Affairs Minster Lord Bates questions Lord Green's figures but agrees that there needs to be a "firm but fair immigration policy to protect the public services of this country and provide opportunities to those who want to come here to work".

As The Scotsman reported, external in December, the former SNP leader and ex-first minister Alex Salmond has previsouly talked about supporting Labour on a "vote-by-vote" basis. He also said a formal deal was "unlikely".

tweets:, external Lab's Tom Harris "relieved that coalition has been ruled out" but would object to any arrangement that makes concessions in gov to SNP

tweets: , externalScottish Labour leader @jimmurphymp says Scots will punish @thesnp if they brought down a Labour GovtScottish Labour leader @jimmurphymp says Scots will punish @thesnp if they brought down a Labour Govt

UKIP's chairman Steve Crowther welcomed the earlier announcement by telecoms regulator Ofcom that UKIP is now listed as a "major party" - meaning it is entitled to a minimum of two party broadcasts under election broadcasting rules.

"The fact that UKIP was the victor in the last two by-elections, in the European elections last year, whilst maintaining its regular polling in the high teens and is considerably ahead of the Liberal Democrats, and in many parts of the country is supported by a quarter of the electorate or more, means that this is simply a recognition of what everybody knows," Mr Crowther said.

Image source, PA

SNP leader and Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has issued a statement on today's announcement by Ed Miliband that he wouldn't go into formal coalition with the SNP.

She says: "This was a lot of hype to rule out something no one was proposing. Mr Miliband's statement is absolutely fine from our point of view, because formal coalition with seats in the UK government has never been our preference anyway.

"But Ed Miliband does himself no good in trying to second guess the electorate in Scotland and pre-determine the election outcome - the people will have their say on 7 May, and the job of politicians is to take their cue from the electorate."

Daily Politics
Live on BBC Two

A former MP described how he felt like he had died and was "clanking my chains from the political grave" whenever he left his home after losing his seat. Michael Brown, who was a Conservative MP from 1979 to 1997, recalled how he knew for several years that he was going to lose his Brigg and Cleethorpes seat. Mr Brown spoke to Jo Coburn about his financial planning to cover his life after Westminster, and reports of MPs being offered counselling to cope with loss of office. Watch the interview

The Independent Police Complaints Commission is to investigate numerous allegations of corruption by Scotland Yard, relating to child sex offences from the 1970s to the 2000s. The inquiry will examine claims that officers covered up evidence that politicians and police were involved in paedophile activity. The police watchdog said the claims were of "high-level corruption of the most serious nature"

During his Q&A session earlier Labour leader Ed Miliband was asked again by an audience member about a potential alliance with the SNP. He said: "I couldn't be clearer about this. I am ruling out a coalition government with the SNP. I am not going to start getting into never-ending speculation about how other parties might vote on a Labour Queen's Speech. And I also want to emphasise this point - I want a majority Labour government. I am working for a majority Labour government."

Interestingly in December 2014, the then leader of the SNP Alex Salmond said his party would would back a future UK Labour government on a "vote by vote" basis, external but appeared to rule out a formal coalition with Ed Miliband's party.

Norman Smith
BBC Assistant Political Editor

The BBC's assistant political editor says Ed Miliband's announcement that Labour will not form a coalition with the SNP, "leaves options open" and that far from assuaging concerns of some voters, it "flags up the fact that Labour might still have to rely on SNP support". He adds that Downing Street perceive Labour has "real vulnerability" on this and "do not believe Ed Miliband has done enough to close down this issue".

Peter Bingle has written a piece on TotalPolitics.com, external in which he predicts that "it is George Osborne who will win the election for David Cameron". He goes on to praise the chancellor as "the best brain in modern British politics".

The Guardian

UKIP leader Nigel Farage says the children of new immigrants coming to Britain should not immediately be allowed to attend state schools, external. The UKIP website says they should be banned from doing so for five years. Mr Farage said it wasn't a manifesto commitment, but his personal view was that dependants of new immigrants shouldn't be allowed to enter the UK straight away.

tweets:, external Message from party HQs is that nobody is forming a coalition with anyone. Given nobody is going to get a majority voters know that's untrue.