Iain Watson
Political correspondent

Don't be distracted too much by the detail. Labour's manifesto will have policies on everything from preserving the bee population to the provision of wifi on public transport.

And don't be mesmerised by what's known in political circles as "retail offers" - price caps and fare freezes.

Taken together, Labour's  prospectus offers the most distinctive choice for voters in a generation.

At its core are three interlinked arguments: First that austerity holds back - rather than helps - economic growth. So Labour would borrow billions for investment.

Second, that the better off - not necessarily the fabulously wealthy - along with many businesses should pay more in tax to meet the day-to-day cost of providing public services. 

And third, that more regulation - and in some cases re-nationalisation - would ensure businesses operated in the interests both of consumers and the wider economy.

Those close to Jeremy Corbyn believe this programme places Labour not on the far left of politics but in the mainstream of northern European social democratic thinking.

Now there will be a bit of political cross dressing in this campaign, with the Conservatives under Theresa May showing a bit more enthusiasm for limited state intervention. 

But the Labour manifesto will break with what's often known as the Anglo-Saxon economic model of lower taxation and flexible labour markets - and in doing so, the party is distancing itself not just from the Conservatives but from its New Labour predecessor too. 

Image source, Reuters

A little more about this evening's other headline from Labour's manifesto via the BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg -  the promise of 30 hours free childcare for two to four-year-olds, covering 1.3 million children. Labour will offer this to all parents, whether they are in work or not, according to the Daily Mirror, external.

Reality Check

There has been a lot of talk about workers struggling with pay which is decreasing in real value - that is compared to inflation.

Reality Check looks at the figures and concludes "It's been a tough 10 years for pay," and that real average earnings have still not returned to the level they were at before the financial crisis. 

As the parties hang up their campaign badges for another day, here's a brief look back at what's happened today:

• Labour's manifesto will promise to nationalise the water industry and put an extra £37bn in to the NHS in England over five years 
• The Conservatives promised to protect workers' rights and give them the right to a year's unpaid leave to look after sick relatives
• The Liberal Democrats say they would abolish the 1% pay cap on public sector workers
• Nicola Sturgeon says a vote for the SNP would strengthen Scotland's hand over Brexit
• Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood says it will be "a long time" before Wales can talk about an independence referendum

BBC Newsnight

Newsnight's political editor Nick Watt spoke to the former Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg and asked him whether there would be a new party after the general election.

Mr Clegg said he expected there to be "closer cooperation" between politicians who were pro-European.

Nick Watt asked if it was time to "bring back Tony (Blair)", but Mr Clegg says you can't re-heat coffee in British politics.

Laura Kuenssberg
BBC political editor

Labour would nationalise the multi-billion-pound water industry if elected, the BBC understands. 

The proposals would reverse the reverse the 1989 sell-off and Labour sources claim it would cut bills for consumers. Labour would create nine new public bodies to run the water and sewage system, that would be publicly accountable, retaining the existing workforce. 

The industry would be taken into public ownership either by simply buying the shares of the existing companies or a compulsory measure where companies would have to be given government bonds in exchange for the shares.

Read the full story.

ITV

Jeremy Corbyn has been pressed on whether he would stay on as Labour leader if the party lost the general election. He was speaking on ITV's Tonight programme, external which is running a series of interviews with the main party leaders before next month's vote. 

Mr Corbyn said his only priority was to win back power for Labour: 

Image source, PA

Labour's Clive Lewis is publicly supporting a cross-party "Progressive Alliance", even though the party has rejected the idea.

He was at the launch of the campaign in London, where he told reporters supporting the use of tactical voting was not an act of defiance against Jeremy Corbyn.

Mr Lewis, the party's candidate for Norwich South, said: 

BBC Newsnight

The Conservatives say they intend to get the national living wage up to 60% of median earnings by 2020 and then continue after that with a national living wage "linked to 60% of median earnings".

Work and Pensions Secretary Damian Green has been talking to Newsnight about how much workers might actually earn.

Image source, Getty Images

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson has criticised what she sees as "obsessive" nationalism.

In a speech to the Orwell Foundation, she said nationalism was wrongly confused with patriotism. Quoting the writer George Orwell, she said: 

The Scottish National Party and Scottish Labour have hit back. 

Read the full story.

A video of the English rapper JME chatting to Jeremy Corbyn in a cafe in north London is very popular on social media tonight.

The grime artist tells the Labour leader why he thinks so few young people vote - and that he has never voted before.

"It's because they think it won't make a difference," he says, "that no one has our interests at heart."

The clip is on the social media channel Vice, external.

The rapper - who has nearly 700,000 followers on Twitter - went on to urge people to register to vote - telling them to do their research. 

Laura Kuenssberg
BBC political editor

Image source, PA

There can't have been much question in the minds of the huge crowd which turned out in force to see Jeremy Corbyn in Yorkshire today about who should be in charge of the NHS.

The service was created by the Labour Party and ever since, it's been seen politically as "theirs".

Labour leader after Labour leader has used the party's historic link with the NHS as an important political dividing line with the Conservatives.

And for the Tories in turn, trying to reduce the public's scepticism about their attitude to the health service has been a huge task. David Cameron in speech after speech, campaign after campaign, tried to detoxify the impression that the Tories simply couldn't be trusted with nurses and doctors.   

Read Laura's blog in full.

Image source, bbc

The veteran broadcaster Jeremy Paxman has warned people not to assume the pollsters are right about the election, saying they had "ballsed up" the last one -  and the last two referendums.

He is to interview Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn in front of a live studio audience in a joint programme for Channel 4 and Sky News on 29 May. The BBC will later host a Question Time special with the two party leaders on 2 June.

Jeremy Paxman said: