Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Labour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth says his party wants NHS staff "to get a rise that takes account of the cost of living".

He says this will be funded by reversing big cuts in corporation tax, which he added, will be increased.

"We're asking those with the broadest shoulders to contribute more," he said. "We'll outline what level corporation tax will be when we publish our manifesto in coming days. We believe we can increase corporation tax."

Mr Ashworth says Labour's whole programme will be costed and details will be revealed in the coming days and weeks.

Labour is currently announcing the first stage of its health plans, he said, which includes investing in staff and training, giving staff a pay-rise and legislation for safe staffing in the NHS.

"It's in the interests of patients that staff morale is high. We believe we'll be making savings by reducing the agency staffing bills in the NHS," he said, adding that £3bn is currently spent on agency staff because of the absence of NHS workers.

In other political news, the Public Accounts Committee of MPs criticises the funding system for new and expanding schools in England as "poor value for money".

The cross-party committee says the government is spending "well over the odds" on free schools while other schools are in poor condition.

The government says its policy of creating free schools, outside local authority control, is excellent value.

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Labour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth says Labour's plans for investment in NHS staff are "ambitious".

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that under this government there were four million people on waiting lists, accusing ministers of abandoning its 18 week target, meaning people are waiting longer "and now 20,000 people are waiting two months for cancer treatment".

He said: 

An election victory for the Conservatives will strengthen the prime minister's hand in EU negotiations, Theresa May tells BBC Wales.

Responding to Labour's NHS pay rise promise, Norman Lamb, of the Liberal Democrats, asks where the money is coming from.

"They are not being honest with the public if they say they can solve these problems without talking about the tough decisions needed to raise more revenue to pay for them," he says.

Labour's Jeremy Corbyn has shown that he is "incapable" of making the kind of difficult calls that a prime minister must be prepared to take, he adds.

Labour is promising to increase pay for NHS staff and to restore bursaries for nurses in training if it wins the General Election. 

The party says it will abolish the current cap for staff in England which limits pay increases to 1%. 

Labour says the policies will help address staffing shortages in England that have become a "threat to patients".

But the Conservatives say Labour's nonsensical economic policies would put the health service at risk.

Read the full story here.

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

NHS staff will get higher pay and there will be no tuition fees for student nurses and midwives under a Labour government, the party is promising. 

Applications for nursing jobs have been down a quarter since the government said they would no longer give nurses bursaries. 

But Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt defended the policy change. He said that as a result they will "be able to train a record number of nurses". 

Despite the drop Mr Hunt expects "two applicants per nurse place even after the changes".  

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said a "huge amount of work was being done in government to find a "long-term sustainable solution to social care". He said that in the next decade there would be a million more over-75s and "we want them treated with respect".

Of the NHS, he says

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt told the Today programme that NHS staff have never worked harder than they do now.

He acknowledged there was a staffing shortage and said he wanted to put more money into training more nurses, to go on wards and relieve the pressure.

But he argued that in order to increase NHS funding, there needed to be a good outcome from Brexit negotiations.

Asked what's in the manifesto on the NHS, Mr Hunt said: "You will have to wait and see what it says."

A reminder to students tied up with exams on 8 June:

A number of papers report that some senior ministers are urging Theresa May to sideline Boris Johnson to little more than a cameo role in the election campaign.

According to the Times, one minister has suggested that the foreign secretary should be tied up in "lots of important meetings in various foreign capitals", external between now and the election. 

Another said some of the Vote Leave pledges during the EU referendum make Mr Johnson a liability at a time when the prime minister is seeking to reassure Remain voters.

But the Daily Mail says Mr Johnson has been assured he will be given a role, external in the campaign.

Read our paper review here.

BBC Breakfast

BBC political correspondent Iain Watson says Labour is determined this shouldn't be the "Brexit" election so is turning its attention to the NHS  - safe territory for them - with promises of pay rises and bringing back bursaries. 

The opposition parties are pressing Labour on where the funding is coming from though, he says. The Lib Dems say Labour is not being honest with the public and the Conservatives' main attack is that you need a strong economy to pay for the NHS, which Labour could not do.

On manifestos, our correspondent says Labour's should be out on 15 May, and the Conservatives is likely to be before that. Between now and then though, voters can expect Labour to come out with some "big ticket items" to get the debate back on to public services, social services and the NHS - and away from Brexit. 

Here's a quick line-up of what we can expect this Wednesday on the campaign trail: 

• Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn will square off at Prime Minister's Questions for the last time before the general election 
• NHS workers who have been "undervalued, overworked and underpaid" by the Conservative government will get a pay rise if Labour wins the election, Labour will announce. 
• Theresa May will for the first time come face-to-face with the European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier

The i leads on a poll calling for Theresa May to appear in TV debates with the other party leaders ahead of June's election.

Image source, The i

The Daily Telegraph cites unnamed Whitehall sources saying the UK will send billions to Brussels in exchange for a single market deal.

City AM leads with the news that Conservative MP Andrew Tyrie is stepping down, leaving a vacancy as chair of the Commons Treasury Select Committee. 

Image source, City AM

The leader of the Conservative group on Camden Council has won the nomination to run in Hampstead and Kilburn. 

Claire-Louise Leyland won out over Henry Newman and Kemi Badenoch at the selection on Tuesday night.

Labour won the seat in 2015 by 1,138 votes and in 2010 by just 42.

Conservative Home broke the news, external, saying it is "unquestionably a target seat".

Who said general elections were old fashioned? 

An emoji has now been created to make sure all your political posting stand out on social media. 

Just post #GE2017 to get it.

FTW.