Was David Cameron right to say he won't seek a third term as prime minister? The panel is split. Toby Young says it was a "gaffe", but Ian Birrell says it was "honest" and there should be more honesty in politics.

Sam Gyimah says the PM isn't obsessed with power - that's what came out in the answer he gave. And there is a lot of "strength and depth" in the party to beat Labour, he adds.

Do the Tories support women's rights? Luisa Zissman says she wouldn't consider herself a feminist - there's too much "extreme feminism", she says, but she does support women's rights. Her answer attracts a few boos and some heckling from the audience. Toby Young highlights that the Tories gave women the vote and the first female prime minister was a Conservative.

Sam Gyimah says the gender pay gap is at the narrowest point it's been for a long time. Delivering on that is better than a pink bus, he adds in a dig at Harriet Harman's campaign vehicle.

"If you tax the rich too much, the rich are going to go," says Luisa Zissman on Free Speech. "And then you're going to have no one to tax... then where are you going to get the money for your housing?" The young audience aren't impressed with that answer - one calls for loopholes to be closed so people don't keep money offshore. The government should spend less time demonising people on benefits and more on that, the audience member says.

Why isn't David Cameron at this debate? Sam Gyimah says he speaks on behalf of the PM, who asked him personally to attend. The PM "does value what we're discussing". A number of members of the audience don't seem happy.

The rising number of apprenticeships is one of the "untold success stories" of the government, says Conservative MP Sam Gyimah. There have been 2 million so far and that number will rise to 3 million in the next parliament, he adds.

Journalist Toby Young, on the BBC's Free Speech show, says he wouldn't be surprised if UKIP support falls to the single digits. The only way to get a referendum on Europe is to vote Conservative, he says.

Are the Tories prioritising policies for old people over those for youngsters? Sam Gyimah says the government isn't against young people - the biggest thing it can do is make sure jobs are available.

It's "flat out wrong" to say the government has done nothing for young people, says Toby Young. Many jobs have been created, he says, most of which are full-time and well-paid. But an audience member isn't convinced - she suggests it might be about stats rather than creating proper, well-paid jobs.

Cutting the top rate of income tax and introducing the so-called bedroom tax are two mistakes made by the current government, says journalist Ian Birrell.

Will the Conservatives increase VAT? Sam Gyimah says Labour is "scaremongering" on the issue and the Conservatives have "no plans" to do so.

Sam Gyimah tells the Free Speech audience we are all part of families - that's why his party talks about "hard working families". He says the "real threat" on 7 May is "a party that wants to break up our country" - the SNP.

Has David Cameron tried too hard to attract right-wing voters, the panel is asked. Ian Birrell says yes and the party should be looking to the future, not the past. But Tory MP Sam Gyimah says the party is the future and lists a number of the things it has done in government. He says the Conservatives are planning for a majority, but won't explicitly rule out a coalition with UKIP.

David Cameron turned down an invitation to appear on Free Speech tonight, says presenter Rick Edwards. But we've got Sam Gyimah, Toby Young, Ian Birrell and Luisa Zissman on the panel.

At 20:00 GMT, BBC Three will be showing the latest instalment of the Free Speech discussions, tonight focussing on Conservative policy. We'll bring you updates and you can watch on the Live Coverage tab above. The audience is seated and ready to go.

House of Commons
Parliament

MPs have tonight agreed further regulations to toughen up counter-terrorism powers. Security Minister James Brokenshire won support for the statutory instruments which bring into force powers contained in the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015. The bill became law last month.

The new powers make clear the Prevent duty - which obligates staff in public institutions such as universities or prisons to report extremist behaviour - applies in Scotland in the same way as across the rest of the country. Further regulations provide court rules for temporary exclusion orders (TEO) which can be imposed on Britons who leave the country to fight in foreign conflicts. The orders restrict the conditions of their return home.

Scottish readers who want to be in the audience for BBC Scotland's pre-election debates can apply here.

tweets, external: "People have forgotten what politics is. We need to put people back into it."- @caitlinmoran #redboxdebate

In the run up to the election, BBC News has produced short Instagram videos profiling the party leaders.

You can watch David Cameron's profile here, external and Ed Miliband's here, external.

London Evening Standard
Newspaper

The Standard's political editor Joe Murphy thinks David Cameron has opened a "Pandora's box" by saying he will not seek a third term as prime minister. He writes, external: "In the Westminster bubble, there is a remorseless logic that forbids a leader from naming a retirement date. By ruling out a third term, Cameron has opened a question of who will take over. Since voters in 2020 will not elect a party whose leadership is unresolved, the power struggle must take place during the 2015 to 2020 parliament. The next leader will expect to write his or her manifesto, so the sitting PM will have less say in the country's long-term future."

Image source, PA

A UKIP election candidate has quit the party in a row over comments made by Scotland's UKIP MEP. Tim Wilson will not stand for the party in South Northamptonshire in the aftermath of the comments made by David Coburn about Scottish Government minister Humza Yousaf. In a newspaper interview Mr Coburn said: "Humza Yousaf, or as I call him, Abu Hamza". He has since apologised.

But Mr Wilson told the BBC: "If Mr Farage cannot realise that what he has said is wrong, and what was said is wrong, and that it is is not a joke - if he can't take this seriously, Mr Farage too needs to consider his position and go."