BBC News Channel

Ed Miliband refuses to answer the question of whether he'd get into a confidence and supply agreement with the SNP. "You don't blow the whistle before the match is over," he says.

BBC News Channel

Ed Miliband is asked by a reporter what he thinks about Alex Salmond telling the BBC's Andrew Marr he could hold the power after the election. Witheringly, Ed Miliband says there seems to be "an unholy alliance" between the SNP and the Tories to carry on a Tory government. "I tell you who will be writing the Labour manifesto and that's me and Ed Balls," not Alex Salmond "not in a million years". He adds: "I hear he's got a book to sell."

tweets:, external Ed Miliband's just called for ' a society based on the common good'. Isn't that the Green Party's own slogan? #reuse #recycle

tweets:, external Ed Miliband says @theSNP plans for control of own taxes wd cost Scotland £7 billion

BBC News Channel

Mr Miliband is interrupted by a big round of applause for restating that Labour will not go into coalition with the SNP.

BBC News Channel

Now Mr Miliband moves onto the SNP. He says the SNP are committed to full fiscal autonomy and are therefore, against the principle of redistribution. That has real consequences for Scotland - it would make it impossible for Scotland to end Tory austerity, he argues, and would cost Scotland millions. Mr Miliband says Labour want to enhance redistribution from Westminster to Scotland, not end it.

tweets:, external Dudley North now straight Labour/Ukip fight - & collapse of Tory vote will put Ukip in pole position (Ukip 34% Lab 37% in dec poll) #GE2015

tweets:, external I wonder if voters in Scotland hearing Miliband's pledge to end "Tory Austerity" will think he plans to increase public spending

BBC News Channel

A home rule bill for Scotland would appear in the first Labour Queen's Speech if he's elected, Mr Miliband says.

BBC News Channel

Ed Miliband restates some of his policies - a minimum wage of more than £8 an hour, a ban on zero hours contracts, a freeze on energy prices. But he's keen to stress that the energy regulator could still cut prices during a freeze - that's is a criticism that's been levied at him by the Conservatives.

BBC News Channel

We are up for this fight. A fight for the people of Scotland. A fight to get rid of this unfair, discredited Tory government, Mr Miliband says. He also welcomes Jim Murphy, Scottish Labour leader, who'll be speaking too.

BBC News Channel

Ed Miliband has just started speaking to an audience in Clydebank. We'll listen in to what he has to say.

UKIP has said it is committed to spending 2% of UK GDP on defence. More in our full story.

Former SNP leader and Scottish first minister Alex Salmond has called for the Treasury's top civil servant to resign after MPs said his "perceived impartiality" had been compromised during the run-up to the independence referendum. Writing in his column for the Press And Journal newspaper, , externalMr Salmond said Sir Nicholas Macpherson's position was now "untenable" after the Commons Public Administration Select Committee criticised the publication of advice he gave to Chancellor George Osborne about the risks of a currency union between an independent Scotland and the rest of the UK. Read more.

tweets:, external Miliband is more unpopular than Cameron in Scotland. Guardian/ICM - doing a good job?Cameron 25% Miliband 19% Read more., external

tweets:, external Guardian/ICM Scotland poll: SNP 43%, LAB 27%, CON 14%, Ukip 7%, LDEM 6%, GRN 3%

Norman Smith
BBC Assistant Political Editor

The more you hear about it, the more extraordinary the Afzal Amin story it seems. It almost sounded from the tapes in the Mail on Sunday as though he was trying to make the EDL part of the UK political mainstream. He vigorously denies any wrongdoing and it appears he has no intention of backing down. My instinct is he will be removed as candidate come what may.

BBC Radio 4 Today

The saying might be "speak softly and carry a big stick", but if we don't fund defence properly it'll be more a case of "shout loudly and wave a matchstick", says UKIP's Patrick O'Flynn.

BBC Radio 4 Today

Image source, PA

We're the only party that would properly fund defence, Mr O'Flynn says. He says many British voters believe that's a better use of public funds than foreign aid. He calls David Cameron "dishonourable" for urging other countries to meet the target of 2% of GDP on defence spending while not promising to do the same himself.

BBC Radio 4 Today

Patrick O'Flynn, UKIP's economic spokesman, says his party is the only one making it clear where they would save money - the foreign aid budget, cancelling HS2 and cutting Scotland's budget, among them he says. In return, they will spend an extra £3bn a year on defence.