Image source, PA

It's a question that the Conservatives have yet to answer - will they scrap the 2015 manifesto pledge not to raise taxes?

Sir Michael Fallon has insisted the Tories are the party of "lower taxes" but admitted it does not want to commit to too many "prescriptive" targets.

Chancellor Philip Hammond was forced to abandon a national insurance changes for the self-employed shortly after last month's Budget following criticism it was breaking a manifesto pledge.

Speaking on ITV's Good Morning Britain earlier, Mr Fallon said: "I think what he (Mr Hammond) said is he doesn't want too many targets inside the manifesto that are too prescriptive, that don't allow you, as the situation develops over the lifetime of the Parliament, that don't allow you the flexibility."

Leaders of the five main parties in Wales set out their stalls in their first live TV gathering of the campaign.

Image source, Getty Images

Centrist Emmanuel Macron has been installed as the overwhelming favourite to be the next French President - but what does that mean for business and Brexit?  

BBC business editor Simon Jack explores whether a Macron win could be good or bad for the UK.

Read the full story

Sahar Al-Faifi, who has worn a niqab since she was 14, responded to UKIP's pledge to include a ban on the full veils in its manifesto.

Victoria Derbyshire

Former Conservative Party chairman Sir Eric Pickles admitted it was a "shock" to hear that Theresa May had called a general election for 8 June. The Brentwood and Ongar MP is standing down after 25 years.

He told BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme:

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The first major Tory pledge has been to include cap on household energy bills in the party's manifesto.

Work and Pensions Secretary Damian Green told ITV people felt "taken advantage of" by energy firms.

Labour said the plan should be taken with "a pinch of salt", while price comparison company uSwitch said it would "do more harm than good".

Scottish Power, one of the "Big Six" energy firms, told the BBC that the move would "stop competition".

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Did you fancy staying in bed this morning? Well you might wish the UK had more bank holidays.

It's a prospect that could become a real possibility if Labour gets into power after the general election.

It wants to create four new UK-wide bank holidays on each nation's patron saint day - St David's Day on 1 March, St Patrick's Day on 17 March, St George's Day on 23 April and St Andrew's Day on 30 November.

Mr Corbyn says the move would "celebrate the national cultures of our proud nations".

But a Conservative source said: "The British economy would be on a permanent holiday if Mr Corbyn got near Downing Street."  

Arron Banks is visiting Clacton-on-Sea today - the first time since he said he was thinking of standing as a UKIP candidate there in the general election on 8 June.

He announced his intentions last week after the sitting UKIP MP Douglas Carswell quit the party.

However, he admitted he knew "nothing" about the constituency.

Mr Carswell has since announced he will not be standing again. He was originally Conservative MP for the seat, but stood down when he switched to UKIP in 2014.

He was re-elected in a by-election that year and held the seat for UKIP in the 2015 general election - becoming the party's first ever MP.

Image source, AFP

In other political news, the big story of the day so far is the outcome of the first round of the French presidential election.

Centrist Emmanuel Macron has gone through to the second round, where he will face far-right leader Marine Le Pen.  

It is the first time in six decades that neither of France's main left-wing and right-wing parties has had a candidate in the second round.

Latest developments are on our French election live page. 

Do you know how long you have left to register to vote? 

Here are the details of what you need and where you need to go.

The Daily Telegraph

According to the Daily Telegraph, external, Nicola Sturgeon, external will suggest that Labour is no longer a threat to her party in the fight for seats in Scotland as she paints the general election north of the border as a “two-horse race” between the SNP and Tories.

The SNP leader will warn that Scotland will pay a “heavier price” if more Tory MPs are returned to Westminster in June as she addresses the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) in Aviemore on Monday, the Telegraph reports.

Jeremy Corbyn, external will also address the STUC and he is expected to make a series of left-wing pledges including the introduction of a £10-per-hour living wage, repealing the Trade Union Act and requiring companies holding public contracts to recognise unions.

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There are 45 days to the general election on 8 June.

Prime Minister Theresa May called it three years earlier than scheduled.  

Find out how the parties stand in the polls, how to register to vote and the key dates in our handy guide.

Labour's campaign coordinator has defended his party's position on nuclear deterrents. 

Andrew Gwynne said regardless of leader Jeremy Corbyn's views on the subject the commitment to a "credible nuclear capability" would remain in their manifesto. 

Yesterday Mr Corbyn said "all aspects" of defence would be reviewed if he won power.

Mr Gwynne said Labour party policy is it is committed to nuclear capability at the "minimum end" of the scale.

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has suggested the Conservatives may scrap their pledge not to raise income tax, VAT or national insurance - a move that would leave the door open to tax rises if the party wins the general election.

Sir Michael nsisted the Tories are the party of "lower taxes" but admitted it does not want to commit to too many "prescriptive" targets in its manifesto, indicating that the "tax lock" pledge from the 2015 general election could be dropped. 

Chancellor Philip Hammond was forced to ditch panned national insurance changes for the self-employed just days after last month's Budget.

Theresa May has so far refused to repeat the "tax lock" pledge, while Mr Hammond said he needed more "flexibility" in managing the economy, prompting Labour to claim the Conservatives are planning a "tax bombshell" should they retain power after the general election.

Sir Michael told ITV's Good Morning Britain: "I think what he (Mr Hammond) said is he doesn't want too many targets inside the manifesto that are too prescriptive, that don't allow you, as the situation develops over the lifetime of the Parliament, that don't allow you the flexibility."

Asked if the Tories would recommit to not raising income tax, VAT or national insurance, Sir Michael said: 

It's the final week of the 2015 Parliament before its dissolution takes place on 3 May.

We can expect a frenzy of last minute deal-making, legislation which can be completed will be rushed to the finishing line, while all manner of bills and other parliamentary business is dropped for lack of time.  

Parliamentary correspondent Mark D'Arcy takes a look at the timetable for the week ahead.

Read the full story

The Guardian

 Government plans to opt out of international human rights agreements in future conflicts would be dangerous and prevent British soldiers from obtaining justice, according to evidence submitted to a parliamentary inquiry by the Law Society and Liberty, The Guardian, external reports.

The proposal to temporarily suspend enforcement of the European convention on human rights (ECHR) in the next war would only protect the Ministry of Defence from scrutiny in the courts and damage the UK’s international reputation, the two organisations have told the joint committee on human rights (JCHR).

The president of the Law Society, Robert Bourns, said:

Read more, external

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Keith Anderson, chief corporate officer of Scottish Power, has said he believes capping energy prices would "damage customers in the long run because the competitive market dies".