Election Live - 27 April

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BBC Radio 4's World Tonight is having a "pipedream discussion" about the prospect of a grand coalition between the Conservatives and Labour if the general election doesn't leave either party with an overall majority. A former Conservative party chairman, Kenneth (now Lord) Baker says there's a lot of agreement between the two parties - building more houses, reducing the deficit, keeping Trident. He says it would be difficult to achieve at the moment "because Britain hasn't had much practice at coalitions".

Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood has accused rival parties of "dangerous and divisive rhetoric" in a "desperate" attempt to win votes.

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David Cowling, Editor BBC Political Research has been digesting five polls - four GB-wide and one Scottish. He says:

"The four GB polls divide, on this occasion, between telephone and internet samples. YouGov gave a one point Labour lead and Populus a three point Labour lead. The two telephone polls suggested Conservative leads – Ashcroft six points and ICM three points. Each of them was sampled over the same period. If we include recent ComRes telephone polls there do appear to be more pronounced Conservative leads under this method. But then nothing is clear-cut in this election. Survation’s last three online polls gave Conservative leads and the last MORI telephone poll gave a two point Labour lead. Damn.

"The TNS Scottish poll was conducted face to face over a two week period. It gave the SNP 54% - the party’s highest rating since the 2014 referendum, with Labour on 22% - its lowest. Intriguingly, the poll found that 29% of those certain to vote 'remain undecided'.

The full list of candidates for Aberavon can be found here.

The BBC is looking for people to join the "Ask Leanne Wood" audience. See here for details.

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More from election statistician, Nate Silver, who has forecast the outcome of the general election for the BBC's Panorama. Silver's figures point to a situation in which even two parties together would not be able to form a majority without the help of a third.

He tells Panorama: "If these numbers held steady, you’d have the Tories as the largest party but Labour plus the SNP are more. Even then they are not a majority. The betting markets seem to think there would be more paths for Miliband in that case but it’s an incredibly messy outcome. There is still enormous uncertainty about who forms a government after 7 May.”

One last nugget from Nicola Sturgeon's interview with Evan Davis. She calls London "one of my favourite cities in the world" and she also has a soft spot for the north-east of England because "my gran was from just outside Sunderland".

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The US elections forecasting guru Nate Silver has been casting his eye over the UK for the BBC's Panorama. And he's come up with some predictions on the number of seats to be won by each party on May 7th.

• Conservatives - 283
• Labour - 270
• SNP - 48
• Lib Dems - 24
• The DUP - 8
• UKIP - 1.
• Others - 16

Nate Silver admits, though, he has "no idea" who would form the next government.

You can watch BBC Panorama now on BBC1.

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An essential element of political interviews, a question about football. Evan Davis asked the Scottish Nationalist leader Nicola Sturgeon who she would support in an England v Germany match. She replied that she wasn't going to "pretend" she knew anything about football but said she would support England. She also revealed that she was "a big fan of David Beckham".

For the course of the general election campaign, Newsnight each evening will be publishing an exclusive Newsnight Index on the likely outcome, based on a sophisticated forecast model.

It is produced by Professor Chris Hanretty from the University of East Anglia and his colleagues at electionforecast.co.uk.

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Police in Lancashire have told the BBC that a man has been arrested "on suspicion of electoral fraud and integrity issues". A Lancashire Police spokeswoman says a 38-year-old from Blackburn was arrested at around 14:30. 

Newsnight's Policy Editor Chris Cook gets to the bottom of claim and counter-claim around SNP spending plans..

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The SNP leader, Nicola Sturgeon is in action again - this time she's doing a Leader Interview with Evan Davis. She says Ed Miliband has been "bullied" by the Conservatives into ruling out a post-election with the SNP

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Labour's shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt was quizzed on Mumsnet today and admitted the issue of when summer-born children start school was a growing concern for both parents and admissions authorities,

He said: "I do think that this is something any incoming Secretary of State for Education will have to take a look at."

During the session he was also praised for his "fine head of hair", and credited his hairdresser Jack, adding: "In terms of tips, I would always recommend washing your hair before you go to bed."

Nicola Sturgeon has insisted that even if the SNP were to win every single seat in Scotland on May 7, it would not be a "green light" for a second referendum on independence. Scotland's First Minister faced a grilling from young people on BBC Radio 1's Newsbeat and when asked why she was "refusing to rule out" another referendum, she replied:

Quote Message: I'm not refusing to rule it out or rule it in, I'm making the point that ultimately whether there's another referendum is not my decision, it's a decision for the majority of people in Scotland."

I'm not refusing to rule it out or rule it in, I'm making the point that ultimately whether there's another referendum is not my decision, it's a decision for the majority of people in Scotland."

If you've been too busy to check in on the election news of the day, here's a brief round-up:

The Lib Dems say spending on education in England would be a "red line" in any coalition negotiations

Labour say it would exempt first-time buyers from stamp duty if their homes cost less than £300,000

David Cameron has said he'll work the hardest he's ever worked to get a Conservative victory

5,000 small firms have signed a letter in support of Tory business plans

The Greens say they would take away the "right-to-buy"

The Green Party says it will end the "Right to Buy" scheme, where people can buy their council homes - and build 500,000 social homes. It also wants to keep rent rises in line with inflation. Tom Chance, the party's housing spokesman, set out the other priorities:

Quote Message: The first thing is to allow more councils to actually borrow to build homes and across the country, local councils want to have this power but none of the other parties are willing to give it to them. We also want to take away a very generous tax break that's given to private landlords for their mortgages...and put it into social housing, so it's actually building new genuinely affordable homes for people."

The first thing is to allow more councils to actually borrow to build homes and across the country, local councils want to have this power but none of the other parties are willing to give it to them. We also want to take away a very generous tax break that's given to private landlords for their mortgages...and put it into social housing, so it's actually building new genuinely affordable homes for people."

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The SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon told Radio 4's Eddie Mair that she'd met Ed Miliband three times - one of those occasions was the party leaders' debate. Eddie Mair pointed that Mr Miliband didn't get a hug! At which Ms Sturgeon joked:

Quote Message: Maybe we should have invited him for a hug after all."

Maybe we should have invited him for a hug after all."

More now from the BBC's business editor Kamal Ahmed on the Lib Dem's pledge to draw a "red line" on education spending in England in any coalition negotiations.

Something got David Cameron stirred up in his speeches yesterday and today. They were delivered with unusual fervour, some reporters said.

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Radio 4 PM's Eddie Mair asked Nicola Sturgeon if she had ever had a row with the former SNP leader Alex Salmond. "Yes," she replied. "I was his deputy for 10 years. It would be bizarre if we hadn't had differences of opinion." She wouldn't reveal what they had argued about though. When Mair asked who wins the rows, she replied:

Quote Message: The final say now is mine. That's how leadership works."

The final say now is mine. That's how leadership works."

Conservative Financial Secretary to the Treasury David Gauke is challenged by Andrew Neil over some of the names who have signed a letter in Monday's Daily Telegraph. Representatives of 5,000 small businesses are calling for the Tories to be "given the chance to finish what they started".

Watch the interview

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As you would expect from Radio 4's PM programme, the SNP leader, Nicola Sturgeon faced several interesting lines of questioning. Eddie Mair challenged Ms Sturgeon - once a health minister in Scotland (2007-10) - over whether the SNP's health policies were truly "progressive". He said 4,000 NHS posts were "axed" in 2010. Ms Sturgeon came back with her own figure, saying that there were now 10,500 more staff than there were when the SNP came to power in 2007. But she added there was still "work to do" on the NHS.

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David Cameron has just been on Channel 5 News, where he dismissed claims his campaign has been a little lacklustre. He said he is "hungrier now than I was five years ago" to win.

Education funding - what the Liberal Democrats call the "cradle to college" pledge - is the first "red line", the leader of the Lib Dems has revealed.

In an interview with the BBC's business editor Kamal Ahmed , Mr Clegg said a commitment to increase education funding in England from £49bn to £55.3bn over the next parliament was the non-negotiable price of the Lib Dems entering coalition government with either the Conservatives or Labour. Education is a devolved matter in the UK.

There's a busy few hours ahead for the SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon with a string of interviews. Shortly, she'll be speaking to Eddie Mair on Radio 4 PM, swiftly followed by an interview for Radio 1's Newsbeat. And this evening she has her Leader Interview with Evan Davis.

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Fun and games for Nick Clegg as he visited a nursery in Wimborne, Dorset. He delved into some vivid lime-coloured modelling clay, asking the children: "Where's the yellow Play-Doh?" The Deputy Prime Minister also challenged one child to guess his age! If you ask a child a question like that...who know what answer will come back. In this case the answer was "96" . Mr Clegg is 48.

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In an article for the Evening Standard, Isabel Oakeshott takes a look at Boris Johnson's reported ambitions to take over the helm of the Conservative Party.

"After years of obfuscation, the Mayor — who is running for a seat in Uxbridge and Ruislip — has given up pretending he doesn’t want the top job. When he protests that he wants Cameron to win this election, however, he is speaking from the heart. The truth is that he is playing a longer game and wants Cameron in Downing Street for another two years before he strikes," she writes,

Satirist PJ O’Rourke gives an American view of the British general election where he has been travelling around the UK for a US TV programme. He spoke to Andrew Neil on the Daily Politics about how an outsider sees UK politics, and the image of the NHS. Watch the interview

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Campaigning can sometimes be a dangerous business, which Lib Dem candidate Stephen Gilbert has found out to his peril. Mr Gilbert, who is fighting to be re-elected as St Austell and Newquay's MP, tweeted that he had fallen foul of a dog with "anger issues", when delivering election leaflets in the constituency. He was treated for minor injuries at the local hospital and has been bandaged up with a few painkillers, according to a party spokesman. He'll be back on the campaign trail this afternoon.

A list of the other candidates standing in St Austell and Newquay can be found here.

Some new polls have been published today which give us something to chew over. The Guardian/ICM poll gives the Conservatives a three-point lead over Labour. David Cameron's party is up one point since a similar poll a week ago, on 35%, while Labour is unchanged on 33%. UKIP is up two, on 13% and the Liberal Democrats are down one, on 9%.

Meanwhile, Lord Ashcroft's national poll gives the Conservatives a six-point lead - on 36% (up two) compared with Labour's 30% (unchanged). The Liberal Democrats were down one point on 9%, with UKIP on 11% - a fall of two points.

However, a YouGov survey for The Sun has Ed Miliband's party in the lead, on 34% compared with the Tories' 33%, UKIP's 14% and the Lib Dems' 8%.

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Charlie and Craig Reid from The Proclaimers have been speaking to 5 live's Dan Walker and Sarah Brett about the changing face of politics in Scotland:

Quote Message: There was no doubt that the independence referendum politicised Scotland, it is the most politicised country in Western Europe now, especially for young people, especially women, it has been amazing. It's very exciting times. Speaking to people down here that say 'it's a bit boring the election' - in Scotland, it's not. It's really, really exciting in Scotland. A lot of it is down to the fact Nicola Sturgeon burst onto the scene in England with the leaders' debates. Her performances have energised people, she believes what she's saying, that's why she comes across well." from Charlie and Craig Reid The Proclaimers

There was no doubt that the independence referendum politicised Scotland, it is the most politicised country in Western Europe now, especially for young people, especially women, it has been amazing. It's very exciting times. Speaking to people down here that say 'it's a bit boring the election' - in Scotland, it's not. It's really, really exciting in Scotland. A lot of it is down to the fact Nicola Sturgeon burst onto the scene in England with the leaders' debates. Her performances have energised people, she believes what she's saying, that's why she comes across well."

Time now for a quick recap of today's main political stories.

- Labour pledges to help first-time buyers in England by exempting them from stamp duty when buying homes worth under £300,000

- David Cameron promises to work harder than ever before to secure a Conservative victory on 7 May

- Nick Clegg disputes predictions in the polls that the Lib Dems wll be largely wiped out at the election, insisting that winning was in his party's DNA

- The Green Party pledges that council house tenants would not be allowed to buy their own home

- Northern Ireland health minister Jim Wells - at the centre of controversy over remarks about gay couples - has resigned

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The Telegraph's Michael Deacon is in characteristically humorous form in his latest sketch, on David Cameron's speech this morning which has attracted much comment over the passion which the PM injected into it.

"The venue for this gale-force aural assault was, of all places, the Institute for Chartered Accountants. The poor creatures won’t have known what hit them. You could hear the staplers rattling on the fourth floor," he writes.

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Conservative Rory Stewart - former chairman of the Commons Defence Committee - has said he will resign if the Conservatives get a majority but fail to deliver a referendum on Europe in 2017. He was speaking in a debate hosted by BBC Radio Cumbria attended by candidates battling to win the constituency of Penrith and the Border. He was challenged by UKIP's John Stanyer who said "nobody believes" David Cameron's promises to hold a referendum. Mr Stewart replied:

Quote Message: I make this very, very clear - put the prime minister aside - as the member of Parliament for Penrith and the Border, if the Conservative Party gets a majority, and if the Conservative Party does not deliver - as we have promised to - a referendum on Europe in 2017, I will resign from the Conservative Party. That is an absolute promise."

I make this very, very clear - put the prime minister aside - as the member of Parliament for Penrith and the Border, if the Conservative Party gets a majority, and if the Conservative Party does not deliver - as we have promised to - a referendum on Europe in 2017, I will resign from the Conservative Party. That is an absolute promise."

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It isn’t the first time phoney football support has led to a politician’s attempts at playing the everyman being called into focus.

Tony Blair for years rebutted claims that he’d told a regional newspaper about fond memories of watching Jackie Milburn play from the terraces of Newcastle United (Blair was aged four and living in Australia when Milburn retired).

He also fluffed a question over his hopes for a Premiership title-deciding match between his beloved Newcastle and Manchester United in 1996 - no doubt with more than one eye on the swathes of Manchester United supporters in just about every seat New Labour was targeting.

David Cameron himself has had the strength of his affections for Aston Villa probed in the past. Political anoraks will already have recalled that in 2001 he told the Commons he was not a football fan at all.

And Margaret Thatcher, when leader of the opposition, reportedly nominated Ipswich Town’s Trevor Whymark as the star man of the 1978 FA Cup final - unfortunately he didn’t actually play.

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Political parties are always keen to get high-profile or celebrity endorsements. So it's unsurprising that Labour has welcomed the news that Professor Stephen Hawking has given the party his backing at the general election. The physicist said he would be voting Labour on 7 May.

The Daily Politics debate ended with final pitches from all the participants. Here goes:

Labour's Yvette Cooper: The Conservatives and Lib Dems have been complacent about crime and policing, while UKIP wants to divide our communities. Labour's got a different plan: to protect neighbourhood policing and keep Britain's communities strong. We want to make sure the immigration system is fair.

Stpehen Woolfe: UKIP is the only party with common sense policies to improve the lives of all Britons. Ignore the press and TV commentators and make up your own mind about our manifesto. We believe in Britain because we believe in you.

Lib Dem Norman Baker. We have a good record in government, contributing to a reduction in crime and protecting women subjected to violence. We will keep a future government anchored in the centre ground and follow the evidence. We'll make sure the immigration system works and crime continues to fall.

Conservative Theresa May: There is a stark choice between a Conservative Home Office giving the country the competent governance it deserves and a Labour Party that doesn't know what the right level of immigration is and has no credible plans for police reform. Crime is down by a quarter, and a future Conservative government will reform free movement, bring down immigration, keep crime falling and defeat extremism.

Simon Thomas: Plaid Cymru believes government is better when it's taken closer to the people. That's why we want the devolution of crime, policing and justice to the Welsh Assembly. Our MPs in Westminster will stand up for tolerance, civil liberties and work with progressive forces in the House of Commons to fight against austerity and ensure policing gets the resources it needs.

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Mixing paint - surely a time when some protective equipment might have been appropriate to protect one's suit? 

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Who'd have thought it? The paint turned out to be blue.

Did the British invasion of Iraq radicalise a generation? Yvette Cooper says it's much more complicated than that. She laments the "lack of a proper community strategy" to challenge extremist ideas. Responding, Theresa May says she's excluded more hate preachers than anyone before her.

"What would you ditch from the Human Rights Act? Yvette Cooper asks her government counterpart, Theresa May. "We're not talking about ditching rights," Mrs May responds.

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Home Secretary Theresa May is pressed over British-born jihadi fighters. She says only one person is under a terrorism prevention order - so-called TPims - but adds that it is for the security services and not the home secretary to decide what happens to individuals returning to the UK.

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Both the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats are promising to introduce a mansion tax - but where are all these mansions to be found? The Economist reckons that, assuming the threshold is set at £2m, there are 91,000 in England and Wales. No surprise that about 74,000 are in London and a further 11,000 elsewhere in the south east. The Economist says that, in contrast, there are fewer than 100 mansions in the north east of England and 12 in Wales. The constituency with the highest number of mansions is Kensington where about a third of households would have to pay the new tax.

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UKIP's Stephen Woolfe says it is difficult to assess who is returning to the UK from fighting jihad in Syria if you can't count the people coming in and out of the country. A line for British passports and separate lines for the rest of the world would help, he argues. He also calls for a joined-up relationship between the UK's security services and border agencies, adding that UKIP would ensure 2,500 more border staff.

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Baroness Karren Brady dismissed claims that businesses had been "ambushed" in to signing a letter on the Conservatives' website supporting the party's business policies. A total of 5,000 small and medium-sized firms were said to have signed the letter.

Quote Message: The economy is top of the agenda for people in business. I'm still being approached by a few hundred people asking to be added to the letter. This is not a stunt. We need a solid economy and stability that Conservative government brings."

The economy is top of the agenda for people in business. I'm still being approached by a few hundred people asking to be added to the letter. This is not a stunt. We need a solid economy and stability that Conservative government brings."

Asked about a company, Aurum Solutions, who deny ever signing the letter, Baroness Brady said the software firm "did sign it".

Quote Message: They've signed it at 10 past nine on a Friday evening. Perhaps the person who signed it wasn't allowed to, I'm not sure. But every single person who signed the letter has been verified."

They've signed it at 10 past nine on a Friday evening. Perhaps the person who signed it wasn't allowed to, I'm not sure. But every single person who signed the letter has been verified."

Did the Lib Dems put the country at risk by rejecting plans for a so-called snoopers' charter? "As we see the ability to access immunications data degrading then it makes it harder for our law enforcement agencies to catch serious criminals and paedophiles...and to be able to identify and deal with terrorists," responds Theresa May.

Norman Baker stresses the need to balance the needs of the security services with civil liberties, something he says is "difficult to strike".

Norman Baker resigned from the Home Office saying that working with Theresa May was "like walking through mud". Asked about his remarks, he says he and Mrs May had a perfectly good relationship - something later backed up by Mrs May. He says though that after four and a half years he "deserved time off for good behaviour".

Labour has identified £800m of savings to protect the front line, including by scrapping police and crime commissioners, says Yvette Cooper. This will safeguard 10,000 police officers jobs, she adds.

But Theresa May says that money has already been assigned for deficit reduction by others in the Labour Party, so who is right: the shadow Treasury team or you? she asks.

Ms Cooper says Labour would cut the Home Office budget,but not by as much as the Conservatives.

Despite pressing on the subject, Mrs May says "it's not possible to say what will happen to police numbers" in future because that's up to chief constables.

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The Home Office faces an 18% cut in its budget post election, so where will the axe fall, the home secretary is asked. Theresa May says there will be the same rate of change over the first two years as in the past. There's scope for savings to be made, she adds, noting that cuts were made in the last parliament but crime has continued to fall.

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The debate has moved on to policing now. Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper is challenged over her prediction that violent crime would rise, when the best available statistics, the BBC's home editor Mark Easton points out, show it has fallen. She contests that reported violent crimes to the police have increased in the past 12 months, and claims convictions are also falling.

"This is pure scaremongering," interjects Norman Baker, who says crime is at its lowest recorded level.

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Home Secretary Theresa May says the government has clamped down on bogus education colleges, but insists there is "no cap" on the number of university students coming from overseas, "which is good for our universities".

Plaid Cymru's Simon Thomas is challenged over a Plaid parliamentary candidate's comments about English "migrants" in rural Wales being "out and out racists". Mr Thomas says the candidate's comments were made 15 years ago and he had been referring to the BNP. "There's been a sea change since then" in the circumstances of migrants coming to Wales, he adds.

There's too much heat in the immigration debate, we need a more rational approach, says Lib Dem former Home Office minister Norman Baker. Asked about his opinion on the current level of migration, he says he thinks it's probably a bit too much.

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Labour's manifesto talks about controlled and managed migration, but makes no mention of a figure, so how can voters trust you, Yvette Cooper is asked. The government set a target and it's in tatters, and we won't make the same mistake, she says. Ms Cooper insists Labour has changed its approach to immigration.

We want migration to come down, she says - but not by how much.

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Theresa May is challenged over the government's failure to meet its target to reduce net migration to the tens of thousands. She says the government has accepted it did not meet the target, "but we've made changes to the system and set out a credible plan for the future", including tightening up immigration from both inside and outside the EU, she adds.

Each member of the panel gets the opportunity to make an opening statement. Here's what they've had to say.

Home Secretary Theresa May: The UK is safer than ever before with crime down by a quarter. We've passed a Modern Slavery Bill, reformed stop-and-search and exposed child abuse and excluded hate preachers from the country. The Conservatives have a plan to cut immigration, defeat extremism and keep cutting crime.

Lib Dem former Home Office minister Norman Baker: The Lib Dems want to protect your rights to freedom and liberty andthe right to protest. You can have these at the same time as being protected by the police and security services. We'll pursue a calm, evidence-based approach.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper: 999 calls are up and prosecutions are down. Labour will protect neighbourhood policing, abolish police and crime commissioners and introduce a new victims' law. There will be no divisive rhetoric on immigration, just practical plans. Immigration needs to be controlled and managed.

Plaid Cymru's Simon Thomas: We're a progressive voice for civil liberties and victims' rights. We want justice and policing powers devolved to Wales. We won't allow immigrants to be "scapegoated" for the UK government's "failures". We'll be a voice for a just, tolerant and inclusive society in the next parliament.

UKIP MEP Stephen Woolfe: The inability to control our borders creates disastrous gaps in our security. UKIP will reform the UK's broken immigration system so that Britain not the EU controls the country's border. We will stop unskilled immigration for five years.

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It's time now for BBC2's Daily Politics election debate on home affairs, featuring Home Secretary Theresa May, Lib Dem Norman Baker, Labour's shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper, Plaid Cymru's Simon Thomas and UKIP's Stephen Woolfe. Stay tuned for live updates.

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Ed Miliband's wife, Justine, "rolled her eyes" in disbelief when he told her about his teenage girl fan club, dubbed the "Milifandom", the Evening Standard reports.

The Labour leader told the paper: “I think she’s a bit bemused by it, to be honest. She thinks it might be a case of mistaken identity.”

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Quote Message: I'm afraid this whole debate is being skewed because nobody will talk about the demand side of the equation. We had a go at this on the BBC Challengers' Debate and nobody would take up the challenge. We have to build one new house every seven minutes in this country just to cope with current levels of immigration, and unless we do something about the demand side of the equation, getting housing, getting onto the property ladder isn't going to get any easier." from Nigel Farage UKIP leader

I'm afraid this whole debate is being skewed because nobody will talk about the demand side of the equation. We had a go at this on the BBC Challengers' Debate and nobody would take up the challenge. We have to build one new house every seven minutes in this country just to cope with current levels of immigration, and unless we do something about the demand side of the equation, getting housing, getting onto the property ladder isn't going to get any easier."

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Turning our attention back to Ed Balls' speech earlier, the shadow chancellor reiterated the party's position on any deals with the SNP, saying there would be "no coalition... no deals, no agreements...it's not going to happen".

"We want to show - not by setting Scottish nationalism against English nationalism, but showing we can all work together - we can have a stronger and fairer future together. And the SNP don't want that - and that is why we have been absolutely clear consistently, we're not going to get into any of that talk of deals, pacts, agreements, confidence and supply, any of it. Nothing's changed."

The Conservative election campaign is being discussed on BBC Radio 4's World at One programme, following reports of concerns among senior Tories that it's been a bit dull.

Conservative peer Lord Bell, PR guru and former adviser to Margaret Thatcher, says the Conservatives decided to run "a low key, no-risk campaign" from the outset, and now they've "turned the heat up", pulling out the likes of Boris Johnson and John Major, Thatcherite policies, and stepping up the rhetoric.

"And we're going to a sort of crescendo at the end," he argues.

Lord Bell notes that one in five voters only made their mind up on polling day in the 1992 election, and adds that if this is repeated on 7 May the election result may be very different than the polls suggest. He predicts a Conservative majority.

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The former Lib Dem leader joins campaigning candidate Jo Swinson in East Dunbartonshire.

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Ed Miliband isn't the only one of his shadow front bench team to making a speech today. The shadow chancellor, Ed Balls, has been on the campaign trail in Glasgow with Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy, and warned that a vote for the SNP makes it more likely that David Cameron will remain as prime minister.

Mr Balls also said fiscal autonomy for Scotland would lead to spending cuts and tax rises.

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Nick Clegg has been speaking to Jeremy Vine on BBC Radio 2. He says he's never been "interested in power for power's sake" and there are many things which are "more important in life than politics".

The Lib Dem leader was asked whether he had been "dazzled" by the title of deputy prime minister during the coalition talks.

He replied: "I think if you have a coalition it's quite important the leaders of the parties that are in that coalition are not bogged down in daily departmental paperwork. I think it's right to keep your hands free so that you can make sure that the government works as a whole, and that the deals are struck, and that balance is struck, and that arguments are resolved, and that's what I've done as deputy prime minister.

"But frankly you could call me Mary Jane and it would be all the same to me - well, not quite of course."

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"Pro-EU, pro-immigration, pro-gender equality" - Waleed Ghani sums up the policies of the Whig Party. Calling itself the oldest progressive party, the Whig Party says it's back. "The immigration levels we have at the moment are sensible and sustainable, and they enrich our country," Mr Ghani says.

UKIP's Suzanne Evans is incredulous - thousands of parents couldn't get a school place this year, she says. Mr Ghani replies: "That's not an immigration issue, that's a public services issue."

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The latest in our foodie series, Campaign Cooks. Today Nicola Sturgeon makes scones.

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Alex Hilton, director of Generation Rent, which campaigns for the rights of private tenants, has reacted to Ed Miliband's housing plans and he doesn't seem impressed.

Quote Message: Any cut to stamp duty just stimulates demand for housing. The extra cash a first time buyer would have just goes straight to the person selling the house at a higher price. More giveaways won't fix the housing crisis - the government should spend any extra tax revenues from landlords on expanding supply." from Alex Hilton

Any cut to stamp duty just stimulates demand for housing. The extra cash a first time buyer would have just goes straight to the person selling the house at a higher price. More giveaways won't fix the housing crisis - the government should spend any extra tax revenues from landlords on expanding supply."

A Liberal Democrat general election candidate has been suspended by the party over allegations that he falsified his council nomination papers.

Patrick Haveron, also the parliamentary candidate for South West Surrey, has been accused of falsifying his papers for the Waverley Borough Council election.

But because nominations have closed he will still appear on both ballot papers as a Lib Dem.

A party spokesman said: "Patrick Haveron has been suspended by the party pending the outcome of investigations into his nomination papers for the Waverley Borough Council election.

"He has been suspended from the Liberal Democrats and no longer represents the Liberal Democrats in either election."

Our colleagues at BBC Radio Berkshire have spoken to the aforementioned signatory 413 - a technology firm called Aurum Solutions, based in Wokingham.

They have confirmed that they have asked the Daily Telegraph to remove their name from the letter.

They say a staff member clicked on a link in an email which, they say, came from Conservative peer Karren Brady - and they think that this automatically registered their support.

They maintain they are politically neutral and would not have signed the letter by choice.

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"The Labour Party are absolutely determined to build on greenfield sites. They don't care about protecting our countryside and that's why they can build so quickly because it's much easier for a developer to put a house on a fresh virgin green field as opposed to clean up the land," says UKIP's Suzanne Evans. "We think we've got an environmental responsibility in addition to a responsibility to solve the wider housing crisis."

"We're in favour of a brownfield first policy," Labour's Emma Reynolds insists

Andrew Neil is picking apart the letter which the Tories say is signed by 5,000 small businesses giving the party their backing. It makes for rather uncomfortable watching, but David Gauke refuses to accept the letter is a stunt organised by Conservative central office. Asked about signatory 413, a business which claims they never signed the letter, Mr Gauke replies: "I'm not in a position to discuss signatory 413." He insists: "The important point is the substance here."

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Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury David Gauke says that if a tenant and landlord want to enter into a three-year fixed rent period that's up to them, but Labour's policy of imposing that could actually be damaging. It would create uncertainty for landlords and start affecting supply, he argues. "This might be a policy that has the best of intentions," he says, but "if you damage the quality and quantity of rental supply then the people who will suffer are those who want to get onto the housing market".

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Four weeks ago you said: "We don't want to introduce rent controls", Andrew Neil points out to shadow housing minister Emma Reynolds.

"I was talking about 1970s rent controls when the state used to set the levels," she replies. "We want to make sure we have a more stable and secure rental sector...The initial market rent would be set by the market in negotiation between the landlord and the tenant - we are not suggesting for a minute that the state intervenes to set that rent at the start of the tenancy."

"I think Ed's having an excellent campaign. He's showing he's got the passion, the vision, the big ideas," shadow housing minister Emma Reynolds tells the Daily Politics. How surprised were you he's become a teen sensation? "Well... it's not that surprising..." she says, a little nervously.

On the subject of housing, she insists Labour's plans aren't "a bureaucratic nightmare". She says "on the contrary", Labour's new register of landlords will actually make it easier for local authorities to clamp down on rogue individuals.

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What did you want to do when you were seven, asks a younger member of the audience. A bus conductor, Ed Miliband replies.

If housing is so important, why has it only just been tacked on to Labour's pledge card and treated as an afterthought, asks BBC political correspondent Iain Watson.

When your opponents have nothing to say about your ideas they resort to questioning "why now?", Ed Miliband responds. He says Labour has been "making the weather" with "positive ideas" for changing the country - and housing is an essential part of that, he adds.

This is a fundamental issue of fairness, Ed Miliband says of his plans to cut tuition fees from £9,000 a year to £6,000.

Labour shouldn't be opponents of Right to Buy but we mustn't end up with a situation where there's a shortage of homes, he says. That's the problem with the Conservatives' plan. The answer is to build more homes which Labour will do, Mr Miliband adds.

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This election is not about any one politician or party, it's about you the people, says Ed Miliband. "This is your time, this is your moment," he says in a direct message to voters.

"I say, let's make Britain work for working families once again."

Time for questions from activists and the gathered media.

A Conservative council candidate has been suspended after writing that she could not respect Ed Miliband because he is Jewish.

Gulzabeen Afsar, who is standing as a council candidate in the ward of Littleover in Derby, said on Facebook that she could never support the "al yahud" - the Arabic term for Jew.

A Conservative Party spokesman said: "This comment was offensive and wrong. There is no place in our party for these comments or attitudes and Ms Afsal has had her party membership suspended pending a full disciplinary hearing."

Ms Afsal will still appear on the ballot paper on 7 May marked as a Conservative candidate.

Unveiling a sixth pledge on Labour's pledge card, Ed Miliband promises to put first-time buyers first, by abolishing stamp duty on homes under £300,000.

The Labour leader said the move would be paid for by a clampdown on tax avoidance by landlords, estimated to be more than "£500m a year" and by increasing stamp duty by at least 3% for overseas home buyers.

"In the Britain we believe in, houses should be lived in by families, not bought up by speculators."

One of the biggest burdens facing working people is the challenge of finding a home, says Ed Miliband. "There's nothing more British than the dream of home ownership" but that dream is increasingly out of people's reach, he says, as he accuses the government of failing to build enough homes.

Labour, he adds, is proposing "stable" three-year tenancies, a cap on rent increases in the private rental market, and 200,000 new homes a year by 2020.

Britain can and must do better than this and with a Labour government it will, says Ed Miliband. He praises the party's "positive" and "optimistic" campaign, before listing several of the party's plans, including on the economy, immigration and the NHS.

"Those with the broadest shoulders should bear the greatest burden, a principle we know and this Tory government will never know," he adds.

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There's just 10 days to go until the election, says the Labour leader, as he sets out to remind people "what's at stake".

"We're campaigning for a Britain where all working people are rewarded once again," he says to applause.

Ed Miliband is on his feet and begins by inviting a round of applause for some of Labour's parliamentary candidates present. "Apologies to anyone I missed out," he says, prompting the crowd to point out he has - two people, in fact. "Good job everyone," Mr Miliband says.

Martin Bristow:

Email Message: As we enter the last full week of campaigning the polls appear locked. It is a surprise to me as I did expect the Conservatives to be ahead by now by a decisive margin. Given the awful inheritance they were bequeathed the state of the economy today means they merit a second opportunity. Those who would blame the bankers for the total mess that Labour left us in are in denial. Their 13 years of excessive borrowing regulatory tinkering and an uncompetitive tax regime has mired this country in decline. I remain hopeful that the Tories will come through and win and sense will prevail.

Martin

As we enter the last full week of campaigning the polls appear locked. It is a surprise to me as I did expect the Conservatives to be ahead by now by a decisive margin. Given the awful inheritance they were bequeathed the state of the economy today means they merit a second opportunity. Those who would blame the bankers for the total mess that Labour left us in are in denial. Their 13 years of excessive borrowing regulatory tinkering and an uncompetitive tax regime has mired this country in decline. I remain hopeful that the Tories will come through and win and sense will prevail.

Martin

In the second Daily Politics programme on Monday, Andrew Neil and Mark Easton will host a live home affairs debate with Conservative Theresa May, Labour’s Yvette Cooper, Lib Dem Norman Baker, Green Simon Thomas and UKIP’s Steven Woolfe. It's the latest in a series of nine afternoon debates, with defence and security coming on Tuesday, and health issues on Wednesday. They all start at 14:00 BST, and are repeated on BBC Parliament at 21:00 BST.

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In the first Daily Politics of the day, Andrew Neil and Jo Coburn will look at the Conservative appeal to business, with the party's David Gauke and Labour's Emma Reynolds, and UKIP's standing in the polls with its deputy leader, Suzanne Evans. The smaller party coverage will see the return of the Whigs, and the American satirist P J O'Rourke will give his take on the general election. That's coming up on BBC2 from 12:00 to 13:00 BST, or desktop readers can watch on the Live Coverage tab above.

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Also this morning, Labour leader Ed Miliband is making a speech to local activists in Stockton, at 11.15am. He's setting out his party's housing plans, including a tax break for first-time buyers. As ever, we'll be keeping across it and bringing you live updates.

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Gordon Brown will be giving a speech on the Union a little later this morning, at Walker Technology College in Newcastle. The former Labour prime minister will emphasise what he sees as the benefits of the Union being maintained from the English perspective.

Mr Brown was a prominent "No" campaigner in the Scottish independence referendum.

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During a tour of the Ageas Bowl cricket ground in Hampshire, Nick Clegg took an apparent swipe at his coalition partner David Cameron, telling reporters he wasn't a cricket fan and adding: "It's a perilous thing to pretend you're a fan of a sport when you're not."

Mr Cameron accidentally said he was a West Ham fan during a speech at the weekend, when he actually claims to be an Aston Villa supporter.

Joe Hawkins:

Email Message: If Labour are so bad at running the economy, why did they win three elections on the bounce? Attitudes changed after the global credit crunch, which the name implies was everywhere not just in Britain under Labour. We already have George Osborne saying we have potential problems with the eurozone but the Tories will not be blamed if it happens.

If Labour are so bad at running the economy, why did they win three elections on the bounce? Attitudes changed after the global credit crunch, which the name implies was everywhere not just in Britain under Labour. We already have George Osborne saying we have potential problems with the eurozone but the Tories will not be blamed if it happens.

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Nick Clegg has been out and about campaigning in Eastleigh, which the party held in a by-election triggered by the resignation of Lib Dem Chris Huhne during the past parliament.

The Lib Dem leader said winning was "in our DNA", telling supporters his party was "fighting a campaign like we've never fought a campaign before" with a 60 by-elections strategy.

Since the start of the year, Liberal Democrats have had "a million conversations with voters in the seats and constituencies where we are campaigning" and "handed out 50 million bits of literature", he told the gathered activists.

Earlier, a senior Lib Dem source told the Press Association the number of seats the party realistically expected to have after the election was "in the 30s".

The source, closely involved in the party's election strategy, said the campaign's focus was increasingly on between 10 and 15 marginal seats.

David Cameron hammered his way through his speech, rapidly working up a sweat under the lights in a room crowded with party supporters and small business owners. The economy is everything, he said, and reeled off achievements and ambitions. But his message was really "I want to win" and he wanted to show he had the fight left in him to grasp victory.

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The Green Party's leader in England and Wales Natalie Bennett has had to cancel an appearance at Cressingham Gardens in London because of a lost voice.

She tweeted earlier: "Too many conversations with voters mean I have lost my voice - apologies to #cressinghamgardens residents that I won't be able to visit today."

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There is so much on the line in 10 days' time, David Cameron says, as he pledges to work the hardest he has ever done in his life to secure a Conservative victory. He leaves the stage to applause - and stops to shake hands and chat with some of the people in the room.

Commenting on Unite's Len McCluskey's comments that he expects Labour to join up with "progressive" parties in the event of a hung parliament, David Cameron repeats his warning about an Labour-SNP alliance.

He says he doesn't make the point to "frighten" people but to show that voting Conservative is the solution to this "conundrum".

"It's decision time, that's what pumps me up about this," says David Cameron.

If you want to take a risk or a punt, vote for the other guy, he says. But if you want stability and security - which, he says, enables families to plan, businesses to invest, and to move forward as a country - then vote for the Conservatives.

Don't vote Lib Dem thinking you'll probably end up with me because you won't, you'll probably end up with Ed Miliband. Similarly don't vote UKIP, as you'll end up with a Labour government then too, Mr Cameron warns.

The prime minister says the past five years have been tough, but 'we're on the brink of something special' so let's stick with the plan.

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Nick Clegg is speaking at the same time as David Cameron - the Lib Dem leader is down in Eastleigh, in Hampshire.

Quote Message: It’s not for me or for any of us to express a preference on which of the older parties the Lib Dems may or may not talk to after the general election. That is up to the preference of millions of people doing that wonderful, old fashioned thing of putting a cross in a box. It’s called democracy. So let's wait and see what people say." from Nick Clegg

It’s not for me or for any of us to express a preference on which of the older parties the Lib Dems may or may not talk to after the general election. That is up to the preference of millions of people doing that wonderful, old fashioned thing of putting a cross in a box. It’s called democracy. So let's wait and see what people say."

David Cameron is asked about his show of passion today. "If I'm getting lively about it it's because I feel bloody lively about it," he tells the room.

Time for some media questions now. Have you left it too late? The only poll that counts is the one on 7 May, David Cameron responds. He says there is a "straight choice" between sticking with the plan that is "working" - or to "go back to square one" with Labour.

"I am on your side," says a very animated David Cameron (not for the first time this morning).

He warns that "there's nothing without a strong economy", as he urges people not to "put it at risk" on 7 May. Let's go and win this fight, he concludes, to lengthy applause.

"This is a battle for the backbone of Britain," says David Cameron, who pledges: "I'm going to win that fight."

He says he will never take the economy for granted - before attacking Labour's economic credibility. The Labour Party thinks it knows how to spend your money better than you do and how to run your business better - and they will put up your taxes and increase regulation, he says.

This is the most important election of a generation, says David Cameron. He cites the letter in the Daily Telegraph signed by 5,000 small businesses backing the Conservatives, as he underlines the need to keep the economy on track; something, he says, only the Conservatives can do.

You are the magic ingredient to the recovering economy, the prime minister says of SMEs. "If you think I'm going to roll over and let Ed Miliband and Alex Salmond wreck that you've got another thing coming," he adds.

Gary Moore:

Email Message: If the rich have doubled their wealth over the last five years why hasn't any of it trickled down to the rest of us? Tory "trickle down" economics has failed yet again and the majority of the population have to suffer while they experiment on us.

If the rich have doubled their wealth over the last five years why hasn't any of it trickled down to the rest of us? Tory "trickle down" economics has failed yet again and the majority of the population have to suffer while they experiment on us.

David Cameron takes to the stage, jacket-less, to a big round of applause. He seems quite excitable. He says an entrepreneurial small business revolution is taking place in Britain, declaring: "That pumps me up!" He pays tribute to them for engineering the biggest economic turnaround in Europe,

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David Cameron will be delivering his speech on business in London any second now. We'll be bringing you live updates, so do stay with us.

Conservative Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has been responding to comments from the Unite union's Len McCluskey (see 8.07 post) that he expects Ed Miliband to work with any "progressive" party if he becomes prime minister.

Quote Message: When Ed Miliband's biggest union paymaster is saying that he will be forced to do deals with the SNP, it's no surprise that Nicola Sturgeon knows she will be pulling Ed Miliband's strings if he gets into Downing Street. from Michael Fallon

When Ed Miliband's biggest union paymaster is saying that he will be forced to do deals with the SNP, it's no surprise that Nicola Sturgeon knows she will be pulling Ed Miliband's strings if he gets into Downing Street.

Working people would "pay the price" for a Labour-SNP alliance through more debt, borrowing and taxes, Mr Fallon added.

Just dipping into the Victoria Derbyshire debate, Lib Dem care minister Norman Lamb says he wants all the parties to "bury their differences" after the general election and work together to come up with a new settlement for the NHS and the social care system. The NHS should not be used as a political football, he urges.

Gary Moore:

Email Message: I have used the NHS a number of times over the past 35 years. It is always better under the Tories. My wife is currently receiving treatment for breast cancer and the care has been second to none. Labour privatised the NHS with the PFI schemes. Safe in their hands, from our experience it is not.

I have used the NHS a number of times over the past 35 years. It is always better under the Tories. My wife is currently receiving treatment for breast cancer and the care has been second to none. Labour privatised the NHS with the PFI schemes. Safe in their hands, from our experience it is not.

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During an appearance on the Andrew Marr show on Sunday, Labour leader Ed Miliband said he would do "no deals" with the SNP if his party fell short of a majority on 7 May.

But Ian Dunt, editor of politics.co.uk, says this is "a fiction" as in a minority government "you'd better be prepared to work with other parties or it will be time to pack your bags".

He adds: "Miliband has deflated his own life raft and laughed about it as he does it. Barring a last-minute Labour surge, he has consigned himself to heading a weak government."

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The action out on the road might be focusing on business and housing, but Victoria Derbyshire is hosting a debate in Southampton on another key electoral issue - the future of the NHS.

You can watch live here:

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Labour's shadow housing minister Emma Reynolds is discussing the party's housing policy on the BBC News Channel. She explains that Labour would help first-time buyers by exempting them from stamp duty on homes in England worth under £300,000, and also cites plans to boost the supply of homes.

The move is expected to cost £225m a year, so how would it be funded? By clamping down on tax avoidance by landlords and increasing stamp duty for overseas, non-EU home buyers, Ms Reynolds says. Labour would also increase the charge on people who own properties through holding companies, she adds.

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Rory Scott, from bookmaker Paddy Power, has been looking into his crystal ball and offers his general election predictions.

The Conservatives will win the most seats and votes but they won't be able to form a coalition, so Ed Miliband will prop up a Labour minority government with the informal support of the Lib Dems and the SNP, he reckons.

He also predicts a few "high profile casualties" on the cards, including Lib Dem Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander and Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy, while Nick Clegg will "just squeak it".

In terms of seats, he forecasts:

• Conservatives 284
• Labour 272
• SNP 50
• UKIP 3
• Greens 1

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We mentioned earlier a letter signed by the representatives of 5,000 small businesses backing the Conservatives,

Perfume and cosmetics entrepreneur Jo Malone - one of the signatories - tells the BBC she thinks it will make a difference to the campaign. She says SMEs are producing 1,000 jobs a day as a result of the government's economic policies, "so we have to have our voice heard".

"There's no point moaning about it in two weeks when it's all over," she adds.

Ms Malone reveals that she will be voting Conservative on 7 May, warning that a Labour government would jeopardise the economic recovery.

Quote Message: I have never put my head above the parapet in politics in this way before but I feel so utterly passionately that not just myself but all the 760,000 businesses that have spent the last three years running a marathon to create secure businesses and jobs, and I see that a change of government would put that all into jeopardy." from Jo Malone Fragrance entrepreneur

I have never put my head above the parapet in politics in this way before but I feel so utterly passionately that not just myself but all the 760,000 businesses that have spent the last three years running a marathon to create secure businesses and jobs, and I see that a change of government would put that all into jeopardy."

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This election is unprecedented, says Nicola Sturgeon. We may see voters reject the two-party Westminster system and herald in a new "multi-party, multi-national" politics. It'll be a breath of fresh air for voters across the United Kingdom, the SNP leader predicts.

Challenged over the remarks of an SNP candidate who said a large number of SNP MPs at Westminster will be the rope that the “hung parliament hangs on”, Nicola Sturgeon says she can't be clearer that the party will exercise any influence "positively and constructively" with the interests of Scotland and the UK in mind. It's a hand of friendship, she adds.

Do you want a second referendum as quickly as you can? "No, I don't. I want to make sure that that decision is driven by what people in Scotland want. This election is not about a referendum on independence."

A bit more from Today's interview with Nicola Sturgeon. Why should anyone believe that you have an interest in making the UK work efficiently? That's a very good question, says Ms Sturgeon. It's no secret I want Scotland to be a independent country - but as long as Westminster decisions affect Scotland the SNP has a "vested interest" in pushing for "better politics". She says she is driven by the interests of the Scottish people - not party politics.

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We've seen Joey Essex on the campaign trail and now it's the turn of another The Only Way Is Essex star, Lydia Bright, to meet Ed Miliband. She's part of the @useyourvoice campaign which encourages young people to vote.

If there was a minority Labour government, the SNP would seek to use its influence on a "case-by-case basis" to affect "progressive" change, including an end to austerity. But we would do so positively and constructively, Nicola Sturgeon adds, saying the party doesn't intend to "destroy" or bring down governments.

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Following on from her last point, Nicola Sturgeon is asked who Ed Miliband would have to speak to in the SNP to do any deal, noting that she is not a member of parliament. "I'm the leader of the SNP and therefore if there are discussions to be had I'll be leading those discussions," she replies.

Ed Miliband has said there would be no deals between Labour and the SNP. Asked whether she would be prepared to vote down a Labour government and cause a second election, Ms Sturgeon says the party will not do anything that puts the Conservatives in power.

She goes on to say the Labour leader can't "deny reality" - and that if no party wins an overall majority they will have to be prepared to "talk to and compromise with" other parties to get their policies through.

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Do you expect to have a handle on power after the general election, SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon is asked, as part of the Today programme's leader interviews. I hope that the SNP will wield influence in the House of Commons on Scotland's behalf, she replies.

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Northern Ireland's Health Minister Jim Wells has resigned after saying children brought up in a same-sex relationship were more likely to suffer abuse.

The comments were made at a hustings event in County Down last week. He later apologised for those comments.

In a statement, Mr Wells said he was stepping down to care for his sick wife.

More here.

Quote Message: We're delighted that Labour has adopted albeit a watered down version of our policy. We're saying that people in private rentals should have five years security of tenure and that their rent over that period shouldn't go up more than the rate of inflation. But I think that behind this... we have a very different approach to Labour, because we say that we need to move away from thinking of homes primarily as financial assets, and go back to thinking of them as safe places for people to live." from Natalie Bennett Green Party leader

We're delighted that Labour has adopted albeit a watered down version of our policy. We're saying that people in private rentals should have five years security of tenure and that their rent over that period shouldn't go up more than the rate of inflation. But I think that behind this... we have a very different approach to Labour, because we say that we need to move away from thinking of homes primarily as financial assets, and go back to thinking of them as safe places for people to live."

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Unite union general secretary Len McCluskey has said he expects Mr Miliband to work with "any progressive party" if he becomes prime minister.

During a campaign visit to Scotland, Mr McCluskey told the Guardian: "I'm expecting Ed Miliband to be prime minister and, in those circumstances, I would expect him to work well with any progressive party who seeks to support the vision that he has of changing Britain for the better."

He also said it would be "wrong" for Mr Miliband to attack the SNP - "who have a manifesto that is anti-austerity,which is Unite's policy" - as his union's membership in Scotland was "pretty well split" between support for the nationalists and Labour.

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The New Statesman has come up with an interesting list of the 10 seats to watch on election night. Among them are the well known - Thanet South, where Nigel Farage hopes to win, and Sheffield Hallam, where Nick Clegg's future will be decided - but also some less familiar battlegrounds. They include Southampton Itchen - "the only Labour-held seat that the Tories might win" - and Berwickshire, which "may be the most interesting seat in the UK".

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Nigel Dodds, the Democratic Unionist Party's leader at Westminster, has expressed alarm at elements of the Conservative Party's campaign over the potential consequences of the SNP propping up a Labour government.

In an article in the Guardian, Mr Dodds condemns any attempt to question the legitimacy of a government supported by the SNP.

"This is where the campaign south of the border has so alarmed me," he writes. "Glib and lazy talk about SNP MPs somehow not being as entitled to vote in every division in the Commons, as any other British MP, simply fuels nationalist paranoia."

Mr Dodds also takes a swipe at Conservative plans to allow only England MPs to vote on England matters, as a constitutional mess.

We're in a new age of multi-party politics, Natalie Bennett tells BBC Breakfast, as she argues in favour of changing Britain's electoral system. The party wants a proportional representation voting system, rather than the current first-past-the-post. We also want an elected House of Lords, she says - but adds that they would consult the public, via a people's constitutional convention.

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Green leader Natalie Bennett seems to be struggling with a croaky voice this morning. The general election campaign is taking its toll, perhaps? She stresses the need for more affordable housing, and also argues for a rebalancing of the economy.

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Now Hilary Benn has hopped over to Today. "Communities are going to have to take responsibility" for housing those who need homes, he says.

But wouldn't restricting homes to those who've lived in an area for several years hinder the mobility of the young labour force?Mr Benn says they're only talking about half the homes in any development so the rest would be available to anyone. It would be up to the local authority to decide how to use those powers, he adds.

On Labour's idea to block above-inflation rent rises, Hilary Benn insists this isn't like the 1970s. He says the system the party is proposing - which also includes three-year tenanices - already works in a number of other European countries. "It's about providing a fair balance" between the needs of tenants and landlords, Mr Benn adds.

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Shadow secretary of state for communities and local covernment Hilary Benn explains Labour's housing policy

All first-time buyers wont have to pay stamp duty up to £300,000. But "local poeple" - those who've lived in an area for three years - will also get the "first call" on any new homes being built. He says local authorities will have the power to put that planning condition on 50% of any new homes.

Doesn't that just exclude people who might have moved to an area for a dream job, say, he's asked?

"This is in part about consent," Mr Benn says, arguing that if a community knows that local people will have first dibs on some of the new homes "it will help unlock consent" for development.

None of the manifestos are specific enough to be properly judged, the founding chairman of the Office of Budgetary Responsibility, Sir Alan Budd, tells Today. "There isn't nearly enough detail" of the type the OBR looks at, he says. Giving the example of cracking down on tax evasion - as all parties have promised to do - Sir Alan says "we're really in the dark" about how they'd do it. Similarly on the subject of cuts, the Conservatives, in particular, have not provided the information the public want and need to make proper judgements.

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As part of the Today programme's series covering 100 seats in 100 days, Zoe Conway reports on one of the most marginal seats in the country - Camborne and Redruth. Kingsley Rickard, from the King Edward Mine Museum in Camborne, tells her his worries about Cornwall's future

"Our main industries really have gone, our engineering is next to nothing these days, mining has gone, our main industries are agriculture and tourism," he says.

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Opinion polls certainly suggest the SNP will do extremely well and it appears their lead has actually strengthened during the campaign period, says Nicola McEwen, professor of politics at the University of Edinburgh. The latest poll suggests they could win "the overwhelming majority" of seats.

Prof McEwen says Nicola Sturgeon has been careful in her handling of the issue of independence - there's a very strong correlation between those who voted yes and those who'll vote SNP. That might seem obvious but it hasn't always been the case. Nevertheless, says the professor, Ms Sturgeon has been careful not to rule a further referendum out while saying this is an election about much more - in particular, ending austerity.

Prof McEwen says "it will be extremely difficult for Labour to pick itself up" if these polls are accurate - the party could be down to a number of seats in the single figures for the first time since the 1930s.

This letter is the result of a petition the Tories launched on their own website. It was promoted by Karren Brady, businesswoman and Conservative peer.

The signatories are small companies employing between three and 300 people There are about five million such businesses in the UK so perhaps that should give some perspective on this letter and how many people have signed it.

Nevertheless, the letter does attack Labour and says a change in government now would be far too risky for the economy.

Labour has dismissed the letter, saying the Conservatives had spent "five years letting down Britain's small businesses" and had overseen an increase in business rates of around £1,500.

Shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna said: "Government scheme after government scheme designed to boost finance for small firms has failed, and small business lending has fallen by £500m in the last three months. With Labour, the tax burden on small firms will be lower than under the Tories."

Mr Umunna also said his party would address late payments and "unfair treatment of small suppliers" and set up a British Investment Bank to back small businesses.

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For their part, the Conservatives want us all to pay attention this morning to the fact that 5,000 small businesses have signed a letter backing their approach to the economy. Printed in the Daily Telegraph, it says the Tories should be "given the chance to finish what they started". Its publication coincides with the launch of the Conservatives' small business manifesto, which aims to see 600,000 new firms created each year by 2020.

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It'll come as no great surprise to learn that the Conservatives are unimpressed with Labour's idea on stamp duty.

“This panicky, unfunded announcement is something Labour have tried before - and it failed. In contrast to Ed Miliband’s gimmicks, because of our balanced economic plan, we've been able to deliver lasting reforms - cutting stamp duty for 98% of people who would have paid it.

“Higher borrowing and higher debt under an SNP-controlled Ed Miliband government would mean higher mortgage rates and fewer first time buyers.”

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Top of Labour's agenda this morning - and indeed, we're told, this week - is housing. The party is hoping to woo would-be first-time buyers by offering to waive stamp duty on properties worth up to £300,000. Ed Miliband will also pledge to begin work on one million new homes by 2020.

Welcome to another day with the Politics Live team. Only 10 days to go now until the general election. Stick with us - Victoria King and Pippa Simm - and we'll take you through everything happening on the campaign trail.