Politics Live: 27 March

Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State Rachel Reeves has written to Iain Duncan Smith, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, asking him to write to disability charities setting out the full details of Tory plans, and how they will affect disabled people and carers.

It follows the leaking of documents to the BBC that show options for welfare cuts commissioned by the Conservatives from civil servants. The Conservatives say the options are not party policy and that "it's wrong and misleading to suggest that any of this is part of our plan".

Justine Miliband has pledged to support her husband Ed "as much as possible" in the election campaign. She told the Guardian: "I’m looking forward to getting out and talking to voters, and to first-time voters in particular."

The Labour leader's wife dismissed the recent row over the Milibands' second kitchen: "There is a really, really serious side to politics and there is this other side. I just don’t see the point in getting worried about it."

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Sky News has taken a look at some of the more colourful characters who are standing as Independents. Featured candidates include a singer, a sex worker and a sand sculptor all aiming to become MPs.

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The latest Opinium/Observer poll shows 51% would opt to leave EU compared with 49% who would vote to stay in.

Full poll results here.

A charity says carers need more support not less, following reports that the Conservatives asked civil servants to draw up options for welfare cuts. The proposals - seen by the BBC in a leaked document - included one of cutting eligibility for carers' allowance.

Emily Holzhausen, from Carers UK, said: "Caring can come at a huge personal cost to carers, placing a strain on their finances as well as health and well-being.

"Our research shows that over one third of carers could not afford to pay utility bills and 45% were cutting back on food".

Responding to leaked documents showing options for welfare cuts drawn up by civil servants for the Conservatives, Labour's shadow employment minister Stephen Timms told the BBC News Channel that people do not want to see "the boot put further into disabled people or carers".

He added that a million people a year were being "forced into destitution" and resorting to food banks.

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George Galloway says if Prince Charles's letters are "merely opining on state of British architecture" or similar issues then he can see no problem for the Prince but, Mr Galloway told Any Questions that, if it turns out Charles has been lobbying for changes in policy on "rather more smaller matters" then that "will be embarrassing" - for the Prince and for the ministers who were lobbied.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said Prince Charles had written to him and had taken a particular interest in military charities. The prince was "perfectly entitled" to give advice to the Queen's ministers, he said, adding: "We should not be grudging him that role at all".

The Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Rachel Reeves, said the publication of the letters was in the "national interest". She said: "I think it's fine for the letters to be made public and Prince Charles has said that as well...I don't think there's any harm about knowing what he is lobbying for."

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According to Rachel Reeves, Prince Charles "should be able to write to whoever he likes about whatever he likes".

Speaking on Any Questions, the Labour MP and shadow work and pensions secretary added: "I don't think there's any harm in knowing what he is lobbying for."

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The Lib Dems have put out a statement in response to the BBC story detailing leaked documents showing Conservative options for welfare cuts.

Lib Dem campaign spokesperson Lord Scriven said: “The election campaign has barely kicked off and already the Tories are showing their true colours. “To build a stronger economy and a fairer society, the welfare system should be designed to help people get on in life. But, surprise, surprise the Tories are hell-bent on punishing disabled people and working families with crippling welfare cuts.”

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Asked if a vote for UKIP was actually a vote for Labour or the SNP, UKIP MEP Patrick O'Flynn told the Any Questions audience a vote for Labour was "asking working people to vote against their own economic interests".

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Green MP Caroline Lucas has called on the 46 MPs identified by Channel 4 News as allegedly claiming for rent or hotel expenses in London while owning properties in the capital to repay the money.

Ms Lucas told Channel 4 News it was "wrong" that MPs could make profits off properties that had been purchased with the help of expenses. She said when the properties were sold "a substantial proportion" of the profit should "go back to the taxpayer".

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Responding to the leaked documents detailing options for welfare cuts, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon told Radio 4's Any Answers these are "not party proposals, but options" adding "but the welfare state cannot be exempted" to get the deficit under control.

The IFS has published its analysis of the impact on the public finances of the possible leaked welfare cuts under consideration by the Conservatives. The think tank notes "It is not clear whether any of these reforms will become Conservative Party policy. All we know is that ministers have been discussing possible options with civil servants," and has published this helpful table detailing the revenues from each of the potential reforms reported today.

IFS Green Budget 2015Copyright: IFS Green Budget 2015

A Number 10 spokesman said: "Neither the Chancellor nor the Prime Minister have seen the documents quoted tonight in Michael Buchanan's report.

"The first they were aware of them was when contacted by the BBC this afternoon."

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Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, the Conservative MP, says the armed forces "will have the equipment and resources they need" and that Britain has the "fifth biggest defence budget in the world".

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Respect MP George Galloway says David Cameron was "inept" in saying that he would not stay for a third term in office as Prime Minister if the Conservatives were returned to power.

UKIP's spokesman on Economic Affairs, Patrick O Flynn MEP says it was "presumptious" and would undermine his authority.

But overwhelmingly, the Any Questions audience agreed it was right that the Prime Minister had given an honest answer and also that it was a "got-up story by the media".

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Channel 4 News is leading on a story about MPs allegedly playing the expenses system to profit from owning homes in London - homes originally bought with taxpayer-funded mortgages.

Under the old expenses system, MPs were allowed to claim for mortgage payments. But after the expenses scandal, these claims were no longer allowed. Channel 4 News says it has details of 46 MPs who, when the rules changed, rented out their London properties - in some cases for up to £3,000 a month - and claimed expenses for rent and hotels in the capital.

From 20:00 GMT Jonathan Dimbleby presents political debate and discussion on Any Questions. Tonight, the programme comes from Hill House School in Doncaster and includes the Defence Secretary, Michael Fallon MP, Respect MP George Galloway, UKIP's spokesman on Economic Affairs, Patrick O'Flynn MEP and the Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Rachel Reeves MP.

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Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Rachel Reeves comments on leaked documents of possible benefit cuts seen by the BBC: “These plans to hit the disabled and carers were drawn up for Conservative ministers to deliver their extreme cuts plan."

She adds: "The Tories now need to come clean about what cuts they plan to make and who will pay the price. If they are ruling out these extreme cuts for the most disabled and carers, then it is clear they will be hitting the tax credits, and support for children, for millions of working families."

The Conservatives say the documents are not party policy.

As Labour unveil their plans for a cap on profits private sector can make in the NHS, Cathy Corrie writes in the New Statesman that the biggest risk to the NHS is failure to reform fast enough. She writes: "Getting value for money from the NHS is the only sustainable option", adding that the next government should "be deeply concerned by the news that the NHS is not moving far or fast enough", concluding "NHS reform is surely good politics".

Science Photo LibraryCopyright: Science Photo Library

For the Conservatives, Culture Secretary Sajid Javid said Unite's general secretary Len McCluskey now owned Mr Miliband "lock, stock and barrel". "He bungs the cash, calls the shots and Miliband dances to his tune," he said.

"And that ruinous tune means more spending, more borrowing and Britain back to bankruptcy."

The BBC has seen a leaked document showing options for cutting benefits , apparently drawn up by civil servants at the request of Conservative Party officials. The Tories say the proposals are not party policy and the story amounts to "ill-informed and inaccurate speculation".

The documents, from the Department for Work and Pensions and seen by correspondent Michael Buchanan, suggest a regional benefits cap, taxing disability benefits and reducing eligibility for the carers' allowance.

The proposals are aimed at helping to save £12bn from the welfare budget by 2017-18.

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In a blog for Labour's Progress group, MP Jamie Reed looks back at the week: Cameron,Clarkson and the Chipping Norton way .

Alex Krasodomski considers the role twitter will play in the election. Writing in the Spectator, the Demos social media analyst says: "A million people expressing the same opinion can be a mob," but he concludes "In the end, that’s perhaps the unfortunate price to pay. If you need more evidence about the democratic role social media can play, take a look at the countries which suppress it."

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Matthew d'Ancona, The Guardian tweets: Good Jock, bad Jock? Salmond threatens to 'exploit Labour weaknesses' v Sturgeon on a 'positive and constructive' SNP

The governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, says he does not expect interest rates to be cut further. He told a conference in Frankfurt that the next move in interest rates - currently at half a percent - would be up.

Writing in The Spectator, Rod Liddle accuses the BBC and other media of starving UKIP of publicity - unless it's negative.

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tweets: The guts? I'd destroy him. > RT @NicholasRees1: @piersmorgan Would you ever have the guts to do a Paxo interview?

PoliticsHome carries the story that more than 400 people have complained to Ofcom and Channel 4 suggesting there was bias against Ed Miliband during last night’s leader interview.

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Talking about new rules for England and Wales whereby convicted criminals will have to pay up to £1,200 towards the cost of their court cases, Frances Crook, of the Howard League for Penal Reform asks: "Do we really want to go back to the days of the debtors’ prisons? "

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More on that additional £1 million being given to Labour by the Unite union. General secretary Len McCluskey said the union was keeping to its promise that it would not stand by and see a one-sided election fight against a Conservative party "made fat on the gifts from the shady and the super wealthy." He said the money from Unite members was "clean, democratically-sanctioned and honestly accounted for".

Britain is to provide £5 million to help international efforts to tackle terror group Boko Haram, the Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has said. The money is to support a new regional task force designed to target the Islamic extremists in northern Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin area. Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin will contribute to the task force, which has been authorised by the African Union. Talks are taking place in New York to endorse the unit via a United Nations' security resolution.

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What John Davidson didn’t add to his note on the Mansion Tax is how and by whom will the valuation of properties be done? How much will this cost? How often will revaluations take place?

from Terry Burbidge, Politics live reader

What John Davidson didn’t add to his note on the Mansion Tax is how and by whom will the valuation of properties be done? How much will this cost? How often will revaluations take place?

LabourList is reporting chaotic machinations at Coventry North West with uncertainty over whether sitting Labour MP Geoffrey Robinson will step down or not.

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Downing Street has announced the date of the Queen's Speech . It will be 19 days after the general election.

The Unite union has given a further £1 million donation to Labour, bringing the total to £3.5 million since December, it has said.

Quote Message: Proposals to remove the most damaging elements of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, to support more joined-up care and to prevent the private sector from cherry-picking the most profitable services are a step in the right direction. The BMA wants a publicly-provided and funded health service, and believes the NHS should always be the preferred provider." from Mark Porter British Medical Association

Proposals to remove the most damaging elements of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, to support more joined-up care and to prevent the private sector from cherry-picking the most profitable services are a step in the right direction. The BMA wants a publicly-provided and funded health service, and believes the NHS should always be the preferred provider."

Civil Service World is reporting that Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood is making diversity in Whitehall a priority, following a trio of "worrying" reports highlighting the barriers facing recruitment from under-represented groups.

Sir Jeremy said: "As long as I’m head of the civil service this will be one of the top priorities and we will relentlessly focus on it, year-in, year-out.”

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Good afternoon. The Politics Live team is changing over and will be with you until midnight. Lots to come this evening, but first a look back at what's been happening:

• Ed Miliband has launched Labour's general election campaign with a promise to safeguard the NHS, saying Labour would stop ''the tide of privatisation" and cap the profits made by private health companies from the NHS
• Plaid Cymru have launched their election campaign, saying more Plaid MPs would mean Wales was no longer "over-looked and marginalised"
• Pundits and politicians continue to debate who was the winner in last night's TV appearances by David Cameron and Ed Miliband
• Three more allegations that the Metropolitan Police covered up child sex offences are to be investigated by the police watchdog, the IPCC.

The leader of Scottish Labour Jim Murphy has pledged that the party will fight its most "passionate, energetic campaign" as it takes on the SNP in what is the "most important" general election for many years.

Some polls are predicting Labour will lose heavily to the nationalists in Scotland. But Mr Murphy said while voters could back other parties to "protest" against the Conservatives, only Labour was "big enough and strong enough" to oust David Cameron from Downing Street.

Tweets: Guest appearance @grantshapps#electioncountdownerer

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Thousands of pounds of taxpayers money was spent on a Los Angeles bash to celebrate British Oscar nominees and business, official figures show.

Business Minister Matthew Hancock told MPs the £85,000 reception for the Great campaign, which aims to showcase what the country has to offer, was attended by about 500 guests - including more than 30 British Oscar nominees.

He added an estimated £37,000 was spent on venue hire, food and drink while security, logistics and event management cost around £48,000.

Mr Hancock said the private sector provided 35% of the funding for the event - which amounts to £29,750 - signalling £55,250 was paid for from public funds.

tweets: New ICM/Guardian London poll

CON 32

LAB 42

LD 9

UKIP 9

GRN 8

tweets : Zero hours is the first thing they mention - followed by North London geek #BattleForNumber10

tweets: Blokes at the next table to me on train rehearsing Paxo's best lines from last night #BattleForNumber10

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Over 400 people have complained to Ofcom and Channel 4 about perceived bias against... Labour leader Ed Miliband it has emerged.

Channel 4 has admitted it has received around 300 complaints from viewers.

Broadcast regulator Ofcom says it had received 131 complaints by late morning - all of which were about perceived bias against the Labour leader.

tweets: #BattleForNumber10 watched by average of 2.6m on Channel 4, 322,000 on Sky News.

Email Message:

Cameron was severely under the kosh from Paxman at the start but recovered. He did very well with the audience as a whole I think.

Miliband was slightly better under Paxman’s interrogation but, apart from the 30 or so partisans in the audience, I didn’t detect much warmth towards him. Miliband just doesn’t have the believability with the economic numbers and the audience knew it.

However, respect to both of them. It was tough and who amongst us could do better? Farage would have been torn to shreds by both.

from Terry Burbidge, Politics live reader

Cameron was severely under the kosh from Paxman at the start but recovered. He did very well with the audience as a whole I think.

Miliband was slightly better under Paxman’s interrogation but, apart from the 30 or so partisans in the audience, I didn’t detect much warmth towards him. Miliband just doesn’t have the believability with the economic numbers and the audience knew it.

However, respect to both of them. It was tough and who amongst us could do better? Farage would have been torn to shreds by both.

Email Message: I am confused again. Ed Miliband talks about banning zero hour contracts but won’t this simply make employers employ less people on more hours, so returning more people to the dole?

It seems to me to be the worst of all worlds. I completely agree it should be illegal to have exclusive contracts, but employers simply won’t increase their wages budget to employ more people, or is this what Ed’s expecting them to do?

from John Davidson, Politics live reader

I am confused again. Ed Miliband talks about banning zero hour contracts but won’t this simply make employers employ less people on more hours, so returning more people to the dole?

It seems to me to be the worst of all worlds. I completely agree it should be illegal to have exclusive contracts, but employers simply won’t increase their wages budget to employ more people, or is this what Ed’s expecting them to do?

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Labour were not the only political party to launch their election campaign today.Plaid Cymru have also launched their campaigntelling Welsh voters the country's future is "in our own hands".

Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood said more Plaid MPs would ensure Wales was no longer "over-looked and marginalised".

Plaid currently has three MPs, and hopes to hold the balance of power in a hung parliament.

"Let us not place our future in the hands of the four shades of Westminster grey," Ms Wood said at the event at Ffos Las racecourse near Llanelli.

Plaid Cymru has already said it plans to negotiate as part of a bloc with the SNP and the Greens.

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I’m confused by Labour’s commitment to the Mansion Tax.

How long really will it be before it can come into effect?

Presumably we need legislation, HMRC systems need to be updated, people need to be warned that their property qualifies and ten given time to pay.

Given the civil service’s record on IT systems (irrespective of who is in power) it’s unlikely to be before 2017.

Then, it’s going to take years to train these new nurses (unless we recruit them from….Europe).

How exactly will this work? They’ve been thinking about if for long enough so there must be a plan.

from John Davidson, Politics live reporter

I’m confused by Labour’s commitment to the Mansion Tax.

How long really will it be before it can come into effect?

Presumably we need legislation, HMRC systems need to be updated, people need to be warned that their property qualifies and ten given time to pay.

Given the civil service’s record on IT systems (irrespective of who is in power) it’s unlikely to be before 2017.

Then, it’s going to take years to train these new nurses (unless we recruit them from….Europe).

How exactly will this work? They’ve been thinking about if for long enough so there must be a plan.

It's probably worth pointing out a few similarities with 1910 as it happens.

Just over a hundred years ago the UK was struggling with a different form of nationalism. On this occasion largely Irish nationalism rather than Scottish nationalism.

In both elections, in January and December 1910. Liberal leader Herbert Asquith was forced to rely on the support of the Irish nationalists to form a government.

The Conservatives also won a larger share of the popular vote in both elections. But they were forced to rely on support from the Liberal Unionists a faction of the Liberal party that had split away over the issue of home rule for Ireland.

Without the Unionists on one side and Nationalists on the other, neither party could have held sway,neck and neck as they were in terms of seats in the House of Commons.

Other disruptive elements in the elections were a growing Labour party with 40 seats- and then subsequently 42 seats - and the Independent Nationalists with 3 seats January falling to 2 seats in December.

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Who benefits from this rubbish?

It isn’t for the politicians’ to broadcast their message. It isn’t for voters to become better informed.

It is wholly for the self-regarding TV, Twitterati to present as ‘entertainment’. Stupid and meaningless questions. Searching above all for a gaff.

It is entirely without merit. Cameron’s advisers were right.

from Bob Pearce, Politics live reader

Who benefits from this rubbish?

It isn’t for the politicians’ to broadcast their message. It isn’t for voters to become better informed.

It is wholly for the self-regarding TV, Twitterati to present as ‘entertainment’. Stupid and meaningless questions. Searching above all for a gaff.

It is entirely without merit. Cameron’s advisers were right.

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Good bit of election trivia from World at One this afternoon. Assuming the opinion polls are correct and the election delivers a hung parliament in May, it will be the first time since 1910 that the electorate have sent MPs back to parliament with no politiccal party in overall control twice in a row.

Admittedly, back then the reason for the hung parliament was a constitutional crisis prompted by the House of Lord's rejecting the Herbert Asquith-led Liberal government's finance bill - later known as the People's Budget.

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Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham told the BBC's Daily Politics: "Nobody gave this prime minister their permission to put the National Health Service up for sale.""

But didn't Labour expand PFI considerably in 1996 and beyond so they played a part in expanding private business involvement in the NHS.

Private business has a play to role in the NHS where it can add value and vital funds or new services. It should not control it for sure but without private involvement, I fear where the NHS would be today.

from Peter Warrington, Nottingham

Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham told the BBC's Daily Politics: "Nobody gave this prime minister their permission to put the National Health Service up for sale.""

But didn't Labour expand PFI considerably in 1996 and beyond so they played a part in expanding private business involvement in the NHS.

Private business has a play to role in the NHS where it can add value and vital funds or new services. It should not control it for sure but without private involvement, I fear where the NHS would be today.

This week I've been touring the UK looking at the issue of immigration ahead of the general election. Our last stop is Bradford – a city in the north of England with a large, predominantly Pakistani Muslim population.

It’s often portrayed in the media as a divided society where integration has failed. I visited a Muslim-run community project to find out if this is a fair characterisation.

Have a listen to what people there told me:

https://soundcloud.com/bbc-world-service/muslims-in-bradford-unfairly-judged

Tweets : Hot-desking "chaos" in Whitehall leaves civil servants " queuing " for a work station - story @joemurphylondon

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I disagree with Tom Bushell’s statement that Jeremy Paxman is a rubbish interviewer. It’s not his fault that Cameron or Milliband didn’t answer his questions.

This is the real reason people lose heart: Politian’s spouting rehearsed lines and that someone has written for them, leaving voters none the wiser.

from Simon Davey, Politics live reader

I disagree with Tom Bushell’s statement that Jeremy Paxman is a rubbish interviewer. It’s not his fault that Cameron or Milliband didn’t answer his questions.

This is the real reason people lose heart: Politian’s spouting rehearsed lines and that someone has written for them, leaving voters none the wiser.

Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham told the BBC's Daily Politics: "No body gave this prime minister their permission to put the National Health Service up for sale."

But pressed by presenter Andrew Neil on Labour's policy to impose a mansion tax to fund the NHS Mr Burnham struggles to answer where the money would come from the immediate years of 2015 and 2015. "The money will started flowing immediately Andrew," Mr Burnham says, adding: "Ed Balls has said that he will bring these measures in with immediate effect."

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New rules which mean convicted criminals in England and Wales will have to pay up to £1,200 towards the cost of their court case have been criticised by the Magistrates' Association chairman. Richard Monkhouse said he did not think the proposals had been thought through as well as they could have been. The fees, which come in to force next month, start at £150 and are not means tested, although people will have the opportunity to pay in instalments.

Just to finish the round up Labour’s fourth and fifth pledges- both of which have been reported before - are as follows:

• Mr Miliband says immigrants to the UK will not be able to claim benefits for two years. He says Labour will call time on gang masters that exploit migrant labour, companies that don’t pay the minimum wage and recruitment companies that only advertise jobs overseas.
• Labour’s fifth pledge is on young people. Mr Miliband says he will reduce class sizes for 5,6 and,7, year olds, apprenticeships for everyone that gets the grades and reducing tuition fees.

Tweets : Oh look @guardian have bothered to write about my frock . My 37 years as a journalist have all been worth it

Mr Miliband explained Labour's five election pledges. These are the first three:

1. Labour will cut the deficit and balance the budget as soon as possible. That will mean “common sense” spending cuts outside protected areas, he says but education and health will always be protected and Labour will never adopt “extreme Tory spending plans” on public services.
2. High living standards for working families, that will mean an energy price freeze and £8 per hour living wage, the banning of zero hours contracts and 25 hours of nursery school support per week
3. Labour will create a new double lock to protect the NHS and prevent privatisation. “You can’t protect the NHS if you can’t say where the money is coming from,” Mr Miliband says. He promises a mansion tax on properties worth more than £2m, a levy on tobacco companies and to close tax loopholes “exploited by hedge funds”. He also says Labour will repeal the Health and Social Care Act.

Ed Miliband claims Mr Cameron was "a rattled prime minister running from his record" in last night’s TV grillings.

He attacks Mr Cameron on zero hours contracts - among other things - and points out his admission that he couldn't live on a zero-hours contract.

Mr Miliband adds: "I say this to Mr Cameron if it’s not good enough for you, it’s not good enough for the people of Britain."

Paul Waugh, PoliticsHome.com tweets: Miliband says he'll leave the "scores on the doors" on last night's debate to others. Paging Matt Lucas

tweets: I have a feeling last night might convince some Labour strategists Ed is not the weak link they feared. Very dangerous assumption.

Jane Merrick, Independent on Sunday tweets: Miliband: "like so many races in the Olympics, it may come down to the wire, neck and neck". Is he the Mo Farah of British politics?

Within Ed Miliband's speech, which has just finished, he said that his party would cap the amount of profit private firms can make from the NHS. Get the full story here.

Tom Newton, The Sun tweets: The Labour Party refused to invite certain newspapers to its election campaign launch today. Last time this happened was under Kinnock.

Michael Deacon, The Telegraph tweets: Ed Miliband's election launch speech has been going for 11 minutes and almost all of it has been about the NHS

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"We know Britain can do better than this," Ed Miliband says to rapturous applause as he launches his party's election campaign. He also says he wants to rescue the NHS from David Cameron.

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Email Message:

I watched the programme last night as a life long Conservative voter ....... a disillusioned one. Ed Milibands performance just reminded me why I have never voted labour and certainly wont be in May.

The most cringeworthy moment for me was when he asserted twice that he had 'stood up to the leader of the free world.' ...... yes, as he stood cowering behind Cameron's back leading the charge.

Ed Milliband did not convince me I should move my vote to him.......I'll be voting Conservative, disillusioned or not.

from John Bickley, Politics live reader

I watched the programme last night as a life long Conservative voter ....... a disillusioned one. Ed Milibands performance just reminded me why I have never voted labour and certainly wont be in May.

The most cringeworthy moment for me was when he asserted twice that he had 'stood up to the leader of the free world.' ...... yes, as he stood cowering behind Cameron's back leading the charge.

Ed Milliband did not convince me I should move my vote to him.......I'll be voting Conservative, disillusioned or not.

SMS Message: Don't know why you are asking Grant Shapps any serious questions? He is yet another MP who doesn't know the difference between fact & fiction! from Rob, Teesside

Don't know why you are asking Grant Shapps any serious questions? He is yet another MP who doesn't know the difference between fact & fiction!

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Although of course credit to the Beeb for publishing it, I was glad to read Grant Shapps' tweet from 10:15 - at last the Tories being brave enough to point to the obvious day-in, day-out editorial bias against their core beliefs and principles.

from Graham Lipson, Politics live reader

Although of course credit to the Beeb for publishing it, I was glad to read Grant Shapps' tweet from 10:15 - at last the Tories being brave enough to point to the obvious day-in, day-out editorial bias against their core beliefs and principles.

Labour leader Ed Milband plans to say his party will:

• Raise £2.5bn a year for the NHS through a mansion tax on the most properties over £2m, tackling tax avoidance by hedge funds, and a levy on the tobacco companies.

• Pay for 20,000 more nurses, 8,000 more GPs, 5,000 new homecare workers and 3.000 more midwives.
• Join up services from home to hospital.
• Guarantee cancer patients don't wait more than a week for vital tests
• Guarantee of a GP appointment within 48 hours - or on the same day if you need it – ensuring families get quicker access to their GP and helping relieve pressure on frontline hospital services

tweets: Is Ed Miliband tough enough to take questions after his speech this morning? HELL NO, we've just been told he won't be taking any.

That's David Cameron, according to Labour, which is launching its election campaign proper in east London.

Ed Miliband will give a speech in about 30 minutes time when he is expected to announce plans for a "double lock" to safeguard the future of the NHS.

In his speech at the Orbit Tower at the Olympic Park in London, he will declare that Labour will guarantee that local health services are no longer threatened by marketisation and privatisation, and provide extra investment so the NHS has time to care.

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What is it that's missing from this generation of political leaders? Gravitas? Statesmanship? A sense of understanding of the hardships most people face? Or is is their ability to sing Ernie the Fastest Milkman in the West?

If ever there were proof that politicians will do anything, and we mean absolutely anything, to connect with voters we've just been handed it by the folk at Business Insider who report thus:

"Last night,105 lucky voters were serenaded - literally - by David Cameron.

"Tasked with the job of keeping the audience entertained during an advert break, Sky News host Kay Burley asked whether Cameron could sing. The prime minister said no but he revealed he does sing 'Ernie' in the shower,a ditty about a milkman by legendary British comedian Benny Hill."

Incidentally, when Ed Miliband was asked if he knew of Ernie he replied: "Absolutely not."

Here's a clip of 80-year-old Labour MP for Great Grimsby who is standing down after 38 years in parliament. Austin Mitchell spoke to 5 live's Stephen Chittenden as he packed up his "museum" of an office. More than 80 MPs are standing down at this year's general election.

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Mr Miliband seemed to come alive only when he spoke about himself. Do we want a prime minister who is so self obsessed even before a first term never mind a third?

from Neil Paxton, Politics live reader

Mr Miliband seemed to come alive only when he spoke about himself. Do we want a prime minister who is so self obsessed even before a first term never mind a third?

twitterCopyright: twitter

Has Sun columnist Katie Hopkins won the election for Labour? And if so was it by accident or design?

She's not known for her support for Ed Miliband. In fact, she tweeted last night that she would leave the country if he became prime minister. The i100 says of Ms Hopkins "the perennial reality TV contestant might just have unwittingly won the election for Labour".

One or two unkind souls offered to give her a lift to the airport and buy her plane ticket. Some people can be rather cruel it seems.

twitterCopyright: twitter

Email Message:

I was very disappointed in the programme. I expected to learn something and be able to make a judgement on which party to vote for.

I just felt embarrassed for both Cameron and Milliband.

Jeremy Paxman was a rubbish interviewer !

No wonder people lose heart and do not vote.

from Tom Bushell, Politics live reader

I was very disappointed in the programme. I expected to learn something and be able to make a judgement on which party to vote for.

I just felt embarrassed for both Cameron and Milliband.

Jeremy Paxman was a rubbish interviewer !

No wonder people lose heart and do not vote.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

And the ratings for last night's leader's interviews are in, (well some of them)!

And they're big. The programme has 2.6million viewers on Channel 4.

That beats ITV's documentary The Triplets Are Coming! which had 1.7 million.

It also means around 11.7% of the UK television audience watched the debate on Channel 4.

That's about double Channel 4's typical ratings in primetime.

There is still the ratings number for Sky News to come in yet so we don't have total viewing figures yet.

And it's fair to say the numbers are nowhere near those of the leader's debates in 2010 when the audience was around 9 million for the first debate.

But those numbers are perhaps partly explained by the fact that they were the first ever TV debates.

Tweets : When Obama beat McCain 54-46 in a head-to-head it was called a landslide. But for the BBC that's called "no clear winner". Odd!

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Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage are likely to come across as the least trustworthy in the upcoming TV debates, according to a psychometric and qualitative profiling study from Praditus, the online self-assessment platform.

Data revealed that Cameron is likely to come across as too aggressive, with Ed Miliband being one of the most honest, but unable to think on his feet.

Email Message:

Trust Paxman is not going down the Clarkson route being more important in his own mind than those he interviews. A good interviewer extracts information by being subtle not by school boy confrontation. Well done Ed.

from John Gardner, Politics live reader

Trust Paxman is not going down the Clarkson route being more important in his own mind than those he interviews. A good interviewer extracts information by being subtle not by school boy confrontation. Well done Ed.

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The first big set piece of the general election campaign generated tens of thousands of tweets under just one hashtag.

#BattleForNumber10 shot to the top of Twitter's list of UK and worldwide trends just as Thursday's duelling interview session began, and by the time the broadcast ended more than 260,000 points, hastily photoshopped memes and wry observations had been posted - with similarly big numbers under related hashtags.

The Centre for the Analysis of Social Media at think tank Demos, Ipsos Mori and the University of Sussex ran an online tracker during the debate which you can find here.

Email Message:

Ed played it clever by taking questions from the audience first: Gave them a chance to warm to him through soft questions and not much follow up. Dave floundered with Paxo and Ed got a lift by snapping back at him to the delight of the audience. To those that do not follow politics closely, Ed will have come across better. Unfortunately.

from Brian Shank, Politics live reader

Ed played it clever by taking questions from the audience first: Gave them a chance to warm to him through soft questions and not much follow up. Dave floundered with Paxo and Ed got a lift by snapping back at him to the delight of the audience. To those that do not follow politics closely, Ed will have come across better. Unfortunately.

Tweets : Is "Hell yes, I'm tough" an Americanism? An echo of Ed Miliband's time in the US? Such as John Wayne's joke: "Hell yes, I'm a liberal."

Mr Miliband set out the "fundamental choice" at the general election, Douglas Alexander says. "I think it will have begun a process of reappraisal," he adds. "I think we should recognise the value of these discussions." He said after last night it’s frankly obvious why the prime minister didn't want to have head-to-head debates with the Labour leader and renews the challenge to Mr Cameron to have one with Ed Miliband. “If Mr Cameron was half as sure of himself, about leadership, about his record in government, he would be willing to go head to head and the truth is he’s run a mile from it,” he adds.

Tweets : Cameron 51% Miliband 49% YouGov for Times Red Box on TV non-debate http://www.thetimes.co.uk/redbox/topic/yougov-polling-for-red-box/a-virtual-dead-heat …

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Labour’s shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander said Ed Miliband would have surprised a lot of people last night who would have been expecting a caricature that “they would have read about in the newspapers”. Instead they saw someone who was warm, honest and open, but who also communicated that passion, exactly that sense of toughness and steeliness to do the job, he says.

Mr Shapps adds Labour’s Ed Miliband came up with “almost nothing in terms of money” and where he would save it from. The simple conclusion is, that if Labour are elected, if Ed Miliband is prime minister I think it will be pretty chaotic,” he says. ”But the fact of the matter is there will be tax rises on your home, on your pension and on jobs and on business in the country to pay for the missing gap.”

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Conservative Party Chairman Grant Shapps tells the Today programme that David Cameron came across “as the man with the plan”. He says the prime minister handled a lot of hostile questions very well, and that the two opinion polls released today show that.

What did TV viewers make of last night's leaders' questions? The BBC's Matthew Price asked voters in the marginal seat of Lincoln - Toddlebox! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-32082788

Protesters punched and "ambushed" the Labour leader Ed Miliband yesterday, the Daily Mirror is reporting. The incident is believed to have taken place in south-east London at around noon, ahead of the leaders' TV grilling later that day.

Email Message: Ed was rather combative with the audience, and still seems unwilling to apologise for the last government's prolific spending.

from John Baker Aspley Guise, Bedfordshire

Ed was rather combative with the audience, and still seems unwilling to apologise for the last government's prolific spending.

Quote Message: Actually he [Ed Miliband] was very passionate and he attacked back at Jeremy Paxman while David Cameron looked like a victim

Actually he [Ed Miliband] was very passionate and he attacked back at Jeremy Paxman while David Cameron looked like a victim

Email Message:

Ed Miliband was dealt all the good cards but only just held his own. He had no record to defend, had the benefit of going second and he was able to listen to Paxman versus Cameron, which shouldn't have been allowed.

from Graeme Lowe, Politics live reader

Ed Miliband was dealt all the good cards but only just held his own. He had no record to defend, had the benefit of going second and he was able to listen to Paxman versus Cameron, which shouldn't have been allowed.

Scottish National Party (SNP) leader and Scottish first minster Nicola Sturgeon is on the Today programme. Asked what she would do if she’d faced Jeremy Paxman on last night’s TV debates, and in particular any potential deal with Labour, she said if people vote for the her party then what they will ensure is that Scotland’s voice is heard in Westminster.

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Quote Message: Scotland’s experience of Westminster politics, up until, now is either we have to put up with Tory governments that we don’t vote for or we get Labour governments that just end up implementing Tory policies. If there’s real SNP strength in the House of Commons then we can force progressive change and I think that’s something that will be hugely popular in Scotland but I suspect it will also win a lot of support elsewhere in the UK as well.

Scotland’s experience of Westminster politics, up until, now is either we have to put up with Tory governments that we don’t vote for or we get Labour governments that just end up implementing Tory policies. If there’s real SNP strength in the House of Commons then we can force progressive change and I think that’s something that will be hugely popular in Scotland but I suspect it will also win a lot of support elsewhere in the UK as well.

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Quote Message: The people that should make the judgement are the public and there are two polls out this morning which show that Cameron was the winner as far as the public are concerned. But look I think that if you've been prime minister you clearly have a record to defend and the opportunity to talk about your plan for the future, if you're the leader of the opposition of course you just stand on the side lines you throw in a few accusations it doesn't have to add up to anything very much, and I though that was very much the way Ed Miliband played it...there was no plan there was no obvious continuity.

The people that should make the judgement are the public and there are two polls out this morning which show that Cameron was the winner as far as the public are concerned. But look I think that if you've been prime minister you clearly have a record to defend and the opportunity to talk about your plan for the future, if you're the leader of the opposition of course you just stand on the side lines you throw in a few accusations it doesn't have to add up to anything very much, and I though that was very much the way Ed Miliband played it...there was no plan there was no obvious continuity.

Email Message:

Paxo started well with both but faded fast. Didn't pick up Cameron on defence or housing, two high profile problems for the Tories.

Had Miliband on the ropes by asking good questions on energy policies that he implemented in last Labour government and then lost his way by focusing on image and allowing Milliband to play to the audience. Paxo not match fit.

from David Taylor, Politics live reader

Paxo started well with both but faded fast. Didn't pick up Cameron on defence or housing, two high profile problems for the Tories.

Had Miliband on the ropes by asking good questions on energy policies that he implemented in last Labour government and then lost his way by focusing on image and allowing Milliband to play to the audience. Paxo not match fit.

Tweets : Battle for No 10: verdicts on the first of the leaders’ TV programmes

Email Message:

As an undecided voter, I'm shocked such a superficial, personal and clearly predetermined anti-Ed line of questioning has been perpetuated by both presenters. If it wasn't so clearly transparent, Cameron would be happy

from Jamie Neale. Politics live reader

As an undecided voter, I'm shocked such a superficial, personal and clearly predetermined anti-Ed line of questioning has been perpetuated by both presenters. If it wasn't so clearly transparent, Cameron would be happy

Email Message:

These debates are boring and soft. Give us some gritty debate, discussion and challenge. Truly shocking. We are not interested in Ed Millibands relationship with his brother - old news! Get a grip!

from Julia Arthur, Politics live reader

These debates are boring and soft. Give us some gritty debate, discussion and challenge. Truly shocking. We are not interested in Ed Millibands relationship with his brother - old news! Get a grip!

Labour MP Douglas Alexander has appeared on Sky News and said: "The truth is I think it's clear this morning more than ever, why David Cameron has done everything possible to avoid TV debates."

Email Message: Why should the public trust a man who has betrayed his own brother to get what he wants for the "cause" of the country. If he can do a heinous act like that who knows what he is capable of if running the country?

from Ian Young, Politics live reader

Why should the public trust a man who has betrayed his own brother to get what he wants for the "cause" of the country. If he can do a heinous act like that who knows what he is capable of if running the country?

Tweets: Update: Cons lead at 2 - Latest YouGov / The Sun results 26th Mar - Con 36%, Lab 34%, LD 7%, UKIP 13%, GRN 5%; APP-12

Leader of the Commons William Hague said the prime minister's performance last night was "very strong". He said: "He got the economic message across from beginning to end and that is the central message in this election."

There are obviously a lot of people giving their opinions on last night's leader's interviews but BBC readers have also got heavily involved. We'll bring you reaction from voters- ie you - today but if you want to get in touch with your opinion of who came off best Cameron/Miliband/Paxman do feel free to send us your thoughts at politics@bbc.co.uk or tweet us @bbcpolitics.

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Away from the leader's TV grilling for a second, Plaid Cymru's is set to launch its election campaign today. The party's leader Leanne Wood is expected to say that the general election offers Wales an "unprecedented opportunity". She will argue electing the largest ever group of Plaid MPs would put Wales in the "strongest position possible" as polls point to a hung parliament. Full story here.

With six weeks to go until the general election Labour is launching its short campaign today in East London. We'll bring you some details from that later. But BBC political correspondent Ross Hawkins tells BBC Breakfast the Labour leader Ed Miliband is likely to claim the race for Number 10 is neck and neck.

He adds of last night's television programme the only thing that was clear really was that "no one lost the election last night". No one made a terrible gaffe, he adds. But at the same time no one won the election either.

Tweets: On welfare, the NHS and Europe conservatives are winning the argument. Shame about the election.My @telegraph column

The BBC'c assistant political editor Norman Smith tells the Today programme that although the polls will probably say David Cameron won last night's TV debates, Ed Miliband's people will probably be the most happy with the way in which things turned out.

"Mr Cameron just wanted to get through it in one piece" last night, Mr Smith says.

When the Labour leader declared he was tough enough to be prime minister by virtue of having stood up to Mr Murdoch, the News International owner tweeted: "Thanks for 2 mentions, Ed Miliband. Only met once for all of 2 minutes when you embarrassed me with over the top flattery."

In a blog post, Twitter cited Kantar Media analysis stating the leaders' TV grilling made up 94.7% of UK Twitter conversation about TV over the evening, with more than 300,000 tweets sent by 10.15pm. There were more mentions of Mr Cameron than Mr Miliband but Labour saw more mentions than the Conservatives, while the moment that generated the most tweets came at the end of the debate as Mr Paxman asked the Labour leader: "Are you OK, Ed?" And Miliband replied: "Yeah, are you?"

SkyCopyright: Sky

At one stage in Miliband's interview the audience audibly gasped when Paxman said to him many people wished it was his brother who was leader.

SkyCopyright: Sky

Here is one of the promotional pictures from last night. David Cameron poses with Jeremy Paxman and Kay Burley

Here's a quick round up of what some people have been saying in the aftermath of last night's televised interviews with Ed Miliband and David Cameron.

• BBC presenter Andrew Neil: "Paxo was superb tonight. But winging it towards end with Miliband. Seemed better prepared against Cameron. Miliband was struggling at times but viewers will perhaps think he stood up better to Paxo than the PM."
• Tony Blair's former spin doctor Alastair Campbell said: "Good night for Ed, neutral for Kay, bad for Jeremy, dire for Dave."
• Piers Morgan weighed in, tweeting: "Paxman eviscerated Cameron with such masterful savagery ... that Cameron won all the debate polls."
• Apprentice boss Lord Sugar tweeted: "I think Miliband made mincemeat out of Paxman."
• UKIP leader Nigel Farage had a kind word for his Labour counterpart, tweeting: "Miliband is showing more humour and courage than Cameron! BattleForNumber10."

Good morning. Dominic Howell and Matthew West will be bringing you all the latest news and analysis from the main political stories of the day.

Here's a quick round up of the main points from the last night's television performance

• Cameron conceded he could not live on an exclusive zero-hours contract
• Cameron said he did not ask Lord Green about the HSBC allegations when he made him trade minister
• Ed Miliband described his relationship with David as "healing"
• Miliband insisted that "Hell, yes, I'm tough enough" to stand up to world leaders
• An instant poll from ICM/Guardian put Cameron as the winner 54% to 46% but of the 8% who said it had changed their view, more opted for Labour

• David Cameron and Ed Miliband were grilled by Jeremy Paxman and faced questions from a studio audience in an election special hosted by Sky News and Channel 4
• The Labour leader said wealth creation is "incredibly important" and said his relationship with brother David was "healing"
• Mr Cameron said he had "turned the economy around"
• A snap Guardian/ICM poll suggested a victory for the prime minister with 56% thinking he won, compared to 46% for the Labour leader
• A government bid to change the rules on electing the Commons Speaker was defeated
• The Electoral Commission revealed it has referred two allegations the Liberal Democrats received donations in breach of party funding rules to the Metropolitan Police

That's all from Politics Live for tonight. We're back tomorrow from 06:00 GMT.

tweets: Labour much more disciplined online that Conservatives. Their MPs sent 358 Tweets. Conservative MPs sent just 27, #BattleforNo10

James Forsyth says Ed Milliband will be pleased with tonight's performance. Despite the Labour leader losing the night by 54% to 46%, according to the Guardian's instant ICM poll, he will be reassured by the narrowness of his defeat, Mr Forsyth argues.

Writing in the Spectator, he says: "I suspect that Labour will be quite happy with Miliband going head to head with Cameron and only losing by a narrow margin. That might sound absurd but it reflects the two parties' relative confidence in their leaders."

A senior Labour source has acknowledged that Ed Miliband was caught up in what Friday's Daily Mirror describes as an "ambush" in which he was "pushed and shoved by protesters" whilst out campaigning.

Mr Miliband was in Rotherhithe, in south east London, at lunchtime today when he found his path back to his car blocked by a few noisy demonstrators - including one wearing a facemask of the former First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond.

Those around the Labour leader don't want to make much of it.

A senior source told me: "This is part of the rough and tumble of the election campaign. Ed shrugged it off and moved on."

I'm told the protester wearing the facemask "got a bit exuberant."

Labour suspect he was a Conservative activist "who got a bit carried away."

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

One of the most interesting exchanges tonight was over Ed Miliband's relationship with his brother David. Ed Miliband conceded their relationship is still "healing" after both stood to be leader of the Labour Party in 2010. Mr Miliband was asked by a member of the audience if he thought David Miliband would have done a better job. "No" was his answer.

Asked if he had regrets about creating division in his family, Mr Miliband said it was "hard", adding it, "was bruising for me, it was bruising for David". He described the brothers' relationship as "strained". "It's healed or healing I would say - just being completely frank with you about that," he said.

But he maintained he was right to stand.

tweets: Cameron/Miliband showdown - Verdict from the Twitter commentariat - Generally, they think Miliband did best

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Scottish government minister Humza Yousaf says 300 people joined the SNP during tonight's leaders interviews.

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People in England find talk of deals with the SNP and Plaid Cymru after the election "worrying" says Janet Street Porter on Question Time.

writes: I am a floating voter swaying towards the Conservatives. With that in mind I was surprised at how well Ed came across, after what I thought was a shaky start. I think David edged it but it was closer than I thought it would be.

tweets: Left-leaning people call it for Miliband, right-leaning for Cameron, poll about even. Conclusion: neither convincing. Need to see Nick Clegg

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Alex Salmond wants the power to write the next Labour budget, says Conservative Nicky Morgan on Question Time. If the Tories are in government, George Osborne will write the budget, she says.

Alex Salmond loves the sound of his own voice, Jim Murphy says on Question Time. It's surprising the Tories want to give him a megaphone to amplify that voice, the Scottish Labour leader adds.

England gets a raw deal from the Barnett Formula, UKIP's Steven Woolfe says on Question Time. People who are really suffering want to know they are getting a fair share, he adds. Jim Murphy says he agrees with the current set up. You have more rural communities in Scotland, it is often more difficult and expensive to provide for them, he says.

tweets: Ed Miliband made a big mistake by not going first tonight. He missed out on the biggest TV audience, which he needed.

tweets: Apparently, those "switchers" in the Guardian/ICM poll represented just 8% of the sample. Just 80-90 people. Statistically meaningless.

Some more from the Guardian/ICM poll on tonight's leader interviews. It suggests that from those who said they might change their mind, 56% said they would now vote for Labour, compared with 30% who said they'd now vote for the Conservatives. More on the Guardian website.

(Add: this part of the sample was a very small part of the wider group).

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We're spoilt for choice for post-match analysis - as well as Newsnight and This Week later, Question Time is also dissecting the leaders' performance at the moment on BBC One.

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There will be more reaction to the leaders' interviews with Andrew Neil, Diane Abbott, Michael Portillo and Miranda Green on This Week, live from 23:45 GMT. They will start off talking about how long prime ministers and business leaders should go on in the job with former M&S boss Stuart Rose. Watch his film here.

Ed Miliband has conceded that his relationship with his brother, David, is still "healing" after both stood to be leader of the Labour Party in 2010.

At the Sky/Channel 4 election question and answer, Mr Miliband was asked if he had regrets about creating division in his family. Mr Miliband said it was "hard" and it "was bruising for me, it was bruising for David". He described the brothers' relationship as "strained". "It's healed or healing I would say - just being completely frank with you about that," he said.

tweets: Instant result on tonight's TV debate by YouGov's First Verdict app for The Times:

Cameron 51%

Miliband 49%

802 respondents

‏tweets: Labour spin doctor dismisses 1st poll (showing Ed lost): "People who watch late at night are "older, richer & tend to be more Conservative"

David Cameron said during tonight's interview that he did not ask Lord Green about allegations of wrongdoing at HSBC when he appointed him trade minister.

Lord Green, who was trade minister from January 2011 to December 2013, had been head of HSBC during the period it is accused of actively helping clients avoid tax.

Being questioned by Jeremy Paxman, Mr Cameron said Lord Green's appointment to the government was "welcomed across the political spectrum" and no concerns about HSBC were raised.

"I didn't ask him about that specific question but we went through all the normal processes and procedures that you would with appointing a minister," he said.

"Proper checks, including checks by the inland revenue into someone's tax affairs, so it was properly dealt with."

tweets: Paxo was superb tonight. But winging it towards end with Miliband. Seemed better prepared against Cameron.

Leanne Wood, the Plaid Cymru leader, says on Question Time that there was no acknowledgment from the prime minister about the impact of austerity during tonight's interviews. Ed Miliband's acceptance that his party was wrong on regulation of the banks was important, she says - he should now ensure the banks and bankers pay for cuts, not poorer people.

Nicky Morgan, the Conservative education secretary, tells Question Time the debates have some merit, particularly if they get people involved in politics. People want to know what David Cameron and Ed Miliband are like, she says. But Mr Cameron has been doing the job for five years and has made a strong case for what he has done.

"A lot of flim flam" - that's how Janet Street Porter has described tonight's leaders interviews on Question Time.

tweets: Snap icm poll gives it narrowly 54:46 to @David_Cameron ... Labour would take that as an approval rating score

Jim Murphy, the Scottish Labour leader, is responding to questions about the mansion tax on Question Time. He says the policy is about redistribution of wealth. An audience member isn't happy - he asks why "we" should give more resources to Scotland when 40% voted to leave the Scotland. Mr Murphy says Scotland voted to stay and we should keep on sharing resources.

‏tweets: @KayBurley says Ed Miliband was "shaking" beforehand #battlefornumber10

Nigel Farage is preparing for the debate next week in a similar way to how he prepared for the Europe debates with Nick Clegg last year, Patrick O'Flynn says. We'll be giving it our absolute best shot, he says.

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Caroline Flint is spearheading the Labour spin effort on Newsnight, where she says, despite a combative interview from Jeremy Paxman, Ed Miliband "gave as good as he got".

Patrick O'Flynn, UKIP's economic spokesman, says he thought David Cameron was poor tonight. He says he's surprised the Guardian poll suggests people think David Cameron won.

The SNP's Humza Yousaf, says: "This programme showed that neither the Tories nor Labour reflect the needs and priorities of the people of Scotland. David Cameron had no answers to where the cuts would fall, but we know from the Tory record that they would fall on the most vulnerable in society and the working poor. Ed Miliband's fatal flaw is to accept the same level of Tory spending cuts, while wanting to waste £100 billion on a new generation of Trident nuclear weapons to be dumped in Scotland."

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BBC Newsnight is assessing the evening's events now. There's also this rather fun graphic to trail ahead to next week's seven-way debate...

An instant Guardian/ICM poll suggests people think David Cameron had a better night. Their data suggests 56% think the prime minister won, while 46% thought Ed Miliband did.

‏tweets: Tonight proved Lynton Crosby right that Cameron has most to lose from TV debates. Public get to see Miliband in way not previously seen

Ex-Conservative leader William Hague says he thinks, unsurprisingly perhaps, that David Cameron gave "very good" answers to the questions he was asked. There was no economic plan from Ed Miliband, the Tory MP and out-going leader of the house says.

Kevin Maguire from the Labour-supporting Daily Mirror says David Cameron hasn't done himself any lasting damage tonight, but probably hasn't done himself any good either. He says Ed Miliband decided attack was the best form of defence. I suspect Ed Miliband learned about how to deal with Paxman from the early exchange with Mr Cameron, says Mr Maguire.

tweets: Went to one of the spin rooms in 2010. A definite two-bath event.

tweets: Thanks for 2 mentions, Ed Miliband. Only met once for all of 2 minutes when you embarrassed me with over-the-top flattery.

tweets: First TV duel of British election campaign over. Verdict: passionate Ed Miliband bested tetchy David Cameron. Full details on @EconBritain.

‏tweets: The press room at Sky HQ has gone spin-tastic. William Hague: "Miliband had a series of disconnected policies that don't add up."

tweets: The more we saw of Ed M the less he felt like a PM

tweets: Good night for Ed, neutral for Kay, bad for Jeremy, dire for Dave

Well, there was a lot of get your teeth into there. Who did it better? Have you changed your mind on who you'll vote for? Email us politics@bbc.co.uk or tweet us @bbcpolitics with your views

tweets: Labour are confronting the - is your leader up to it issue head on. All the tough guy stuff no coincidence.

tweets: Bet both Cameron and Miliband would have preferred a head-to-head than separate maulings by Paxo. But both survived it. #BattleForNumber10

As they finish, the microphones pick up Jeremy Paxman asking Ed Miliband: "Are you ok, Ed?" The Labour leader replies: ""Yeah, are you?"

"You need a toughness in this job... I'm a pretty resilient guy and I have been underestimated at every turn," says Ed Miliband. There's an audible sympathetic "ooh" from the audience at that question.

tweets: Miliband clearly better-prepared than Cameron - advantage of not being PM. #BattleForNumber10

"They see you as a north London geek", says Jeremy Paxman. "Who cares?" replies Ed Miliband.

Ed Miliband says criticism of him in the media are "water off a duck's back". The thing I have learned most in this job, he says, is to be yourself. He has stood up for the things he believes in, he says. "I don't care about what the newspapers say... I care about British people and what happens to them," he says.

People think you're not tough enough, Jeremy Paxman says. Let me tell you, Ed Miliband says, looking a bit tougher. On Syria and intervention there, Mr Miliband says he made up his mind and said No. Standing up to the leader of the free world shows character, he adds. He adds: "Am I tough enough? Hell yes, I'm tough enough."

tweets: "Keep the language simple, Ed." "OK - can I use words like 'consequentials' and 'redistribution' then?" No! #BattleForNumber10

Would you move Trident out of Scotland if the SNP demanded it? No, Ed Miliband says. I'm not going to get into a bargaining game with Alex Salmond, Mr Miliband says. Oh yes you will if you need a coalition deal, is the suggestion from Jeremy Paxman as they discuss the subject.

Charlotte in Baildon writes: Utterly appalled by Paxman's inconsistent approach to these interviews. Cameron allowed to answer questions fully and Miliband hardly allowed to answer before he's interrupted and hit with another question. Not impressed.

ARC Cornwall writes: The most impressive person in these debates was definitely Jeremy Paxman. Why can't we have him as Prime Minister? No weasel words or wishy-washy views with him at least. I'd vote for the Paxman Party any day.

Mansion tax next. Is this his way of taking money from the south-east of England to give to Scotland? Ed Miliband says the levy will involve homes mostly in the south east but this is part of being a United Kingdom, he says. You can have redistribution across the UK, he adds.

On energy policy, Ed Miliband used to believe in raising energy bills, now he wants them to fall, Jeremy Paxman says. Mr Miliband says that isn't the case - he didn't think higher bills would tackle climate change. He always said energy bills should be fair, he adds.

tweets: On this evidence, can anyone imagine Ed Miliband standing up to Putin? #BattleForNumber10

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The audience enjoys Miliband struggling to specify which programmes the Labour leader thought were examples of over-spending under the previous government. He was asked: "Did you spend too much?" by Jeremy Paxman, who then pressed: "Give us a clue, come on."

What would you cut, Ed Miliband is asked. There are going to be reductions in spending outside some protected areas, he says. Labour is going to make these decisions in government, Ed Miliband says. He adds his overall approach is based on fair taxes and cutting spending. Would overall spending go up? No, it is likely to fall, Ed Miliband says.

Haven't you got your economic forecasts wrong under this government, Jeremy Paxman says. Ed Miliband defends his figures - he says wages have fallen. David Cameron says things are good, Mr Miliband says. He doesn't think things are ok.

Government make mistakes, there are always inefficiencies, Ed Miliband. But let's talk about the future, he adds. "Yes let's," says Paxman. It's getting a bit feisty.

What else did Labour get wrong when last in power, Jeremy Paxman asks. Ed Miliband, in addition to immigration, adds the party was "too relaxed about inequality". Asked if they borrowed too much, Ed Miliband said the figure was high because of the global financial crisis. He says no government gets it completely right.

"I'm not going to pluck a figure out the air on migration," Ed Miliband says. "There's no finite limit?" Jeremy Paxman asks.

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tweets: For sale: one lectern, barely used, one careful owner. #BattleForNumber10

We can get low-skilled migration down, Ed Miliband says. But he won't be drawn on numbers as Jeremy Paxman asks if a population of 75m or 80m was too many people.

Jeremy Paxman starts on immigration - and whether Britain is full. Ed Miliband says he wouldn't describe it that way; we have high levels of migration that need to be reduced, but he says he won't make false promises. He admits Labour has got it wrong before on the issue.

Next up, Ed Miliband is quizzed by Jeremy Paxman.

‏tweets: Mili accepts Lab was wrong not to regulate banks more toughly. Too true

Have you learned from the mistakes of the last Labour government, Ed Miliband is asked. We were wrong on the regulation of the banks, Ed Miliband says. "I'm sorry we got it wrong", he adds, "but we've learned the lesson". Has Ed Balls learned the lesson the questioner asks - "yes" says Mr Miliband.

Tory austerity is happening because of Conservative decisions, Ed Miliband says. Labour commitments are different. Mr Miliband says he stands for ideas to change the country, for principles and for decency.

What are David Cameron's best qualities? Ed Miliband says he admires his commitment to equal marriage - "it was hard in his party" - and his commitment on overseas development. Would you have a pint with him? "I don't know whether we'd have a pint," Mr Miliband answers. Maybe a bacon sandwich, he jokes.

I'm going to follow through on my promises, Ed Miliband tells the audience. He gives the example of tuition fees - it's the right thing to do cutting them and he will do it. Trust in politics is "so important" - it needs to be rebuilt, he says. The question had been whether he would be like Nick Clegg and break a key promise in government.

Is socialism still an important Labour Party value, Ed Miliband is asked. Yes, democratic socialism is - "I believe in a fairer, democratic society," the Labour leader says.

Why is Labour prepared to deny people freedom to choose whether it should stay in the EU? Mr Miliband says he wants to stay in the EU and the referendum is not his priority - he wants to deal with living standards and the NHS. If there is a further transfer of powers, we'll have one then but that is "very unlikely to happen", he says.

That's a politician's answer, Kay Burley says. I'm not sure, Ed replies.

tweets: Ed Miliband confirms - again - that he won't give the British people a say on Europe. #BattleForNumber10

Would your brother not have done a better job? No, says Ed Miliband. He admits the leadership contest was bruising, but says he had strong views about the direction of the Labour Party. "I thought I was the best person to move the party on from New Labour," he says.

He admits the division in his family is "hard" - but the relationship with his brother is healing, he says. They had a strained relationship, he tells Kay Burley.

What will the budget be at the end of your Parliament? Labour wants to balance the books by the end of the Parliament, Mr Milband says. We want fair taxes, spending reductions based on carefully thought-through decisions and rising living standards, which will then increase tax revenues, he adds.

Yes, Ed Miliband says, wealth creation is incredibly important. It helps create a fairer and more prosperous society. Everyone should be allowed to succeed, he says. If you get regular hours and get some security for work, that's better for the whole country, he says.

The first question to Ed Miliband is why he looks so gloomy - are things really so bad? No, but they could be a lot better, he answers. Labour can do something about zero hours contracts, he says. "Let's do something about it... we can do a lot better than this," he adds. That attracts his first round of applause of the night.

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Nigel Farage tells the BBC News Channel he thought Jermey Paxman "was superb" and for the first 15 minutes or so, the PM "was in some trouble". He scored Paxman's performance eight out of ten.

Rebecca Robinson, Stockport, Cheshire writes: This government has no idea what real life in Britain is. A "food bank" did not exist when I was a teenager in the 70's and utility bills were affordable. Now people have difficulty feeding themselves and their children and we sit in cold homes wrapped in blankets. This is their "fairer" society.

Ed Miliband. He'll face the studio audience before being grilled by Jeremy Paxman.

tweets: That last answer from Cameron was political equivalent of telling a job interviewer your worst trait is "perfectionism". #BattleForNumber10

Have you ever eaten three Shredded Wheat, David Cameron is asked by Kay Burley. That's a reference to the analogy he used when saying he wouldn't seek a third term as PM. Mr Cameron says he has. (Could a head-to-head with Ian Botham on the cards...)

‏tweets: PING! More spin arrives by mobile phone from Labour, "interpreting" the Prime Minister's remarks #BattleForNumber10

If you could redo one thing as PM, what would it be, David Cameron is asked. He didn't deliver on ending Punch and Judy politics at PMQs, he admits.

"The most important thing I've had to do is turn the economy around," he says. He says he wished some things, like the help to buy scheme, had been done sooner and quicker.

tweets: Cameron doesn't try to deny breaking no "top-down reorganisation" promise. Changes subject to spending. #BattleForNumber10

tweets: Cameron so clearly does not understand what his Govt has done to #socialcare - £3.5 billion cuts, ILF closed. #Battle4Number10

‏tweets: Miliband chose to do the 'town hall' section first to warm up for Paxo interview... These questions are well meaning but quite gentle

The promises you made last time have been broken, how can I trust you, an audience member asks the PM. Mr Cameron says his biggest pledge was not to cut the NHS, a promise he says he has kept. If you elect me again, with a strong economy, we'll go on investing in our NHS, he concludes.

"I love our NHS, it has done amazing things for my family," David Cameron tells the audience. He talks about the care given to his young son Ivan, who died in 2009.

‏tweets: Cameron's repeated vagueness on welfare cuts shows Tories worry they won't sustain support of voters on this

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Asked whether he was happy with the PM's response to his question whether the Conservatives would reverse decisions on police budget cuts, an audience member - who was also a West Midlands police officer - smiled and replied: "No comment."

Kay Burley pulls the PM up on the length of his questions - remember to keep them short, she says.

tweets: David Cameron showing how living within our means can mean better services - more money doesn't mean better #BattleForNumber10

The next question is about the EU and how David Cameron will persuade people to stay in. The PM says Britain is at its best when it works with other countries in the world. But the problem with the EU just now is that too many things drive people mad, he says. People think it's becoming too much of a state. We need a new deal with Europe, he says. If I can get a new deal, David Cameron says, there's a real prospect of saying to the public, you choose.

David Cameron is asked about rights for disabled people. What will you do going forward, he is asked. Mr Cameron says the UK should do everything it can to make sure disabled people face as few obstacles as possible. The job isn't done - there need to be more disabled people in work, the PM says. He admits the gap between the disabled unemployment rate and the overall unemployment rate is too high.

tweets: Verdict on Cameron's Paxman interview in Sky News Westminster bureau: Rocky start, then he settled & recovered and finished much stronger.

Would the Conservatives reverse cut to the police, a member of the audience asks. David Cameron said the government did have to make cuts, but the police have done such a good job that crime had fallen. There's still more efficiency to be achieve on that front, he adds.

tweets: Qs from audience sometimes only work is they are then asked if they're happy enough with the answer...

A good example of where we'll cut costs is benefits, David Cameron says. Business have to improve efficiency every year he says, and says they have had to do that in government.

"We've had to make difficult decisions on the economy," David Cameron says. "We had to get the deficit down, the prime minister tells the audience. We've got the deficit down by half, and over the next two years we have to do similar to what we've done already. It is achievable," he says.

tweets: Our #SunNation Twitter Worm saying Cameron doing much better with audience than Paxman #BattleForNumber10

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Asked by an audience member what was Ed Miliband's best quality, the PM laughed and said the question "was a tricky one" but said "all of us who put ourselves forward believe in serving the public".

David Cameron is asked about the provision of care for the elderly. Would you, he asks, appoint a cabinet minister for older people?

Mr Cameron says it is important to treat older people with dignity. Benefits for the elderly will continue, he says. On the idea of a cabinet representative for older people, he says he will think about it, but he wants every minister to be thinking about the best ways to treat older people well.

During that brief break Toby Young told the BBC News Channel that the prime minister would have been taken aback at how aggressive Jeremy Paxman's interview was and speculates that the former Newsnight presenter may have over-compensated to address claims of Tory bias made by Channel 4 News earlier today.

David Cameron is up before the studio audience now.

tweets: Cameron greets the ad break like an injured man greets morphine. #BattleForNumber10

What did you think of David Cameron's performance in the interview? Did Jeremy Paxman land any killer blows? Email us politics@bbc.co.uk with your views and we'll feature some later.

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tweets: Paxman to Cameron: 'I don't want to sound rude..'

tweets: Cameron had to sweat in this I/v but not sure his blocking on failed reforms or welfare cuts that damaging with voters... But opening bad

If you vote Conservative, I will serve every day of a second term, David Cameron says. That would mean he'd have been PM for 10 years and he repeats that he was giving an honest answer when he announced he wouldn't serve a third term in a BBC interview.

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David Cameron has kicked off the leader interviews, full details of the schedule can be found here.

What would it take for you to vote No in a referendum, David Cameron is asked. He says he wants reform of the EU - the UK needs to improve on its current membership. Europe isn't working properly at the moment, he adds.

What's your biggest foreign policy disaster, David Cameron is asked. He lists some achievements, but says the Libya situation is challenging. He says it was right to stop Col Gaddafi when the UK did - otherwise there would have been a "massive catastrophe" in Benghazi. He says he doesn't accept that the UK and France had abandoned people in Libya since then - we're still trying now, Mr Cameron says.

Changing welfare isn't just about saving money, it's also about trying to change people's lives, David Cameron says.

David Cameron is talking now about where money will be saved in the next Parliament. On welfare, he says in-work benefits will be frozen for two years. The £12bn savings, he says, are well within the range of what can be done.

"I will defend all of those decisions," David Cameron says. The British economy is working, the Conservative leader adds.

On VAT, the Paxman question is whether people should believe him this time when he put the rate up in government after saying before the last election he had no plans to. Our plans don't involve tax increases on VAT, Income Tax or National Insurance, David Cameron says. "We're in government this time and know what we need to do."

‏tweets: Cameron interview shows problem of having a record to defend - including the broken promises #BattleforNo10

tweets: On immigration, "we have not met the commitment, I fully accept that". Actually that candour won't go down badly out there.

You said last time "no ifs, not buts", Jermey Paxman says. You haven't done it. David Cameron says it is still the right goal, and the UK needs to make welfare changes in order to do it.

David Cameron says immigration from outside the EU has been reduced. But inside the EU, it has increased, not least "because we have created more jobs than the rest of the EU put together". People are coming to the UK to work, he says.

"If you're saying we haven't gone fast enough, I would agree we need to finish the job," David Cameron says.

We have borrowed a lot of money, David Cameron says. He says it is less than the previous government - but Jeremy Paxman suggests it's actually more.

tweets: Paxman gets to very heart of Cameron's vulnerability: impression that he is weak against the strong and strong against the weak.

‏tweets: we've missed Paxman

You would choose to appoint the man who oversaw tax avoidance and a rich newspaper editor and you defend a rich TV presenter, Jeremy Paxman says to David Cameron. What do you have in common with these rich people?

The Tory leader says Lord Green, referred to in the first part of that question, was welcomed across the board when he was appointed. On Jeremy Clarkson, the PM says treating people you work with badly is not acceptable. The aspersion you are trying to cast, he says to Paxman, is ridiculous.

tweets: Could you live on one? He's asked three times now..Is Paxo going for the 'did you threaten to overrule him?' record? #BattleForNumber10

tweets: PM squirming when asked about massive rise in #foodbanks on his watch #AskCameron

We've had a difficult few years, but we're coming out of it, says David Cameron. The majority of the jobs we've created have been full time, most of them well-paid, the prime minister says. "I want more people to have the dignity and security of work," he says. He wants the minimum wage to go up, he adds.

I want fewer people using food banks, David Cameron says. Moving on to zero hours contracts, he says they count for around 1 in 50 jobs. Some choose such contracts because they want flexibility. Asked if he could live on one himself, Mr Cameron doesn't give a yes or no answer.

There has been an increase in food banks, partly because of the difficulties we've faced as a country, David Cameron says. "The big picture is we want more people into work - we've turned the economy around," he says.

How many food banks were there in the country when David Cameron came into power, is the first question? He's told there were 66, now 421. The PM says more people are in work than when he came into power.

And we're off. David Cameron is on the stage, ready to be grilled by Jeremy Paxman. Their session is due to last 15 minutes, before the prime minister faces question from the audience.

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tweets: Nigel Farage is here and has gone straight to the bar. #BattleForNumber10

tweets: One reason some think EdM opted to go 2nd (having won the coin toss)? To make any monstering by Kay/Paxo isn't on the 10 oclock News

David Cameron doesn't handle heckling and people getting on his back too well, says former Labour spin doctor Damian McBride. He thinks Ed Miliband will be in a better position to deal with such pressure.

@Nigel_FarageCopyright: @Nigel_Farage

tweets: Well the establishment tried to keep me out of the #battlefornumber10... So in true form.... I've turned up anyway!

Norman Lamb, the Lib Dem MP, says he doesn't fancy either leader tonight, unsurprisingly. He says he hopes both of them are properly challenged, though: David Cameron on cuts and Ed Miliband on his plans for the economy.

tweets: A typical @Nigel_Farage move turning up at the #notadebate tonight!! #lol

"I'm sorry there's no real debate tonight", Nigel Farage says. He tells Sky News he is here to size up the opposition ahead of next week's seven-way debate. He says he suspects David Cameron will get the upper hand tonight.

tweets: So I can confirm that @nigel_farage is in the house... Or at least rather close to the spin room #BattleForNumber10

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tweets: Not excited about #BattleForNumber10 yet? Then look at these massive LASERS.

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Guardian columnist Ian Birrell is left with a nasty taste in his mouth following today's attempt by the government to change the election process for the Speaker. No fan of John Bercow, he describes him as "prone to pomposity, his florid oratory can sound oleaginous and his carefully crafted interventions often come across as egotistical showboating". But he adds today's events in Parliament were "redolent of student politics at its worst and just crude revenge."

Prime Minister David Cameron is first up tonight. He'll face Jeremy Paxman from 21:00 GMT before being quizzed by a live studio audience. Afterwards, the Ed Miliband will also face a live studio audience, before being grilled by Jeremy Paxman.

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Liz Truss tells the BBC that David Cameron's final PMQs was a "slamdunk". But asked why he wouldn't go head-to-head in a debate with Ed Miliband, she said it was only because of David Cameron that "we are having these events during the campaign" at all.

The environment secretary said there were "all kind of bizarre proposals from the broadcasters" but it was David Cameron who came up with the proposal for the seven-way debate which meant all the parties could be involved. She called tonight's interviews a "really interesting format", adding there was "a lot of excitement around it".

tweets: No debate fever in my house. My wife is watching something else. Curry ordered. Already decide to vote #Conservative.

tweets: Pressure mounting. Cameron's/Miliband. Greatest political #notadebate soon. Who wins? Jeremy Paxman or Kay Burley?

tweets: More Lib Dems in spin room than Labour/Cons, despite no Lib Dem in this show. Here's @normanlamb

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You can't win the election here, but you could lose it, says Tim Shipman from the Sunday Times ahead of the leader interviews. David Cameron will want to avoid putting his foot in it, while Ed Miliband needs to look like a leader, he adds.

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Hot on the heels of Ed Miliband, David Cameron has also just arrived at the Sky studios, ahead of tonight's interview.

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Can you remember what you were doing a year ago tonight? Chances are, if you're a fan of political debates, you were watching Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage lock horns over Europe. Mr Clegg - who wants Britain to stay in - said the UKIP leader's claims about how many Romanians and Bulgarians might come to the UK were "simply not true". But Mr Farage denied this and said EU immigration was costing Britons' jobs and driving down wages. Here are some of the highlights.

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For Robert Smith writing in the Spectator, Gordon Brown's claims made in the Commons today - that the Conservatives' plans to devolve powers to England posed a risk to the union - were a bit rich.

The former prime minister used his final speech in the Commons to warn that the plans represented a "constitutional revolution" that were "driving a wedge between England and Scotland". But Mr Smith thinks Labour started the break-up. "The SNP uprising has started — it looks set to claim his [Gordon Brown's] own seat of Kirkcaldy — and so he's off," he writes. "In his final speech to the House of Commons today, he lamented the gradual breaking apart of the UK which was, of course, started by his own party," he says.

tweets: mostly eating Sky News food while trying not to get spotted in their live shot #BattleForNumber10 #dinner

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tweets: Why Cameron won't debate: People are worse off at the end of the Parlt than they were at the start - for 1st time since 1920s #runningscared

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Labour leader Ed Miliband arrives at Sky ahead of tonight's interview, accompanied by Channel 4 Chief Creative Officer Jay Hunt and Sky News chief John Ryley.

During tonight's interviews of David Cameron and Ed Miliband, we're keen to here your thoughts. You can email us at politics@bbc.co.uk or tweet @bbcpolitics to let us know what you think.

tweets: In the @skynews spin room/hack centre for #battlefornumber10 . And there's decent non Beeb coffee.

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tweets: Sky/C4N debate Fact: Ed Miliband was invited - and declined - the opportunity to visit the debate set today. Cameron visited first thing...

tweets: Douglas Alexander and Caroline Flint will be in the spin room for Labour tonight. Hague scheduled for the Tories. #BattleForNumber10

tweets: watching @MichaelLCrick doorstep our boss on #c4news Disgraceful behaviour Michael. Really.

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Looking ahead to tonight's grilling of the party leaders, Toby Young predicts Ed Miliband will be judged as to have come out on top - but, he says, this is because expectations of the Labour leader's performance are so low. "My guess is Miliband will win because the audience's expectations of him are so low," he writes. "The prime minister also has the disadvantage of being the incumbent and having to defend the government's record."

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tweets: Less than two hours to go until #BattleForNumber10, @adamboultonSKY live from the media centre at Sky Studios.

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Looking ahead to tonight's leader interviews, The Sun reckons it has a good idea of what will come up - including discussion of yesterday's tax pledges by both parties and mention of David Cameron and Ed Miliband's kitchens. You can read the predictions here.

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A number of MPs sat in the House of Commons for the last time today. We've been taking a look at who they are and the impact they've had on Westminster. Included on the list are some key figures from recent British political history; William Hague, Gordon Brown and Sir Malcolm Rifkind among them. More here.

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Nigel Farage has been speaking to ITV about an incident at the weekend, where his family was forced to flee after protestors turned up at a pub where they were having lunch at. Mr Farage described the demonstrators at the time as "scum". Now, the UKIP leader says he wishes he had used stronger language. Watch his interview here.

tweets: audience for #BattleForNumber10 1/3 current CON voters, 1/3 current Lab vote, 1/3 undecided "split 50/50 lab/con on 2010 recall" @CDachsund

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Over on Conservative Home, Mark Wallace considers the fallout of today's events in parliament and what they could mean for the Speaker. He writes: "His (the Speaker's) worst enemy is himself, having been the sole author of his own troubles. But his best friends are his enemies, who keep stuffing up attempts to get rid of him".

He adds: "It's worth noting that today does not mean that Bercow is safe in his chair. MPs could, of course, simply vote him out in a non-secret ballot when the new parliament begins. It has long been the view of this site, which we restated this morning, that someone who has lost the trust of one side of the House, and who is no longer seen to be genuinely non-partisan, cannot do the job."

Who is Lynton Crosby, the man overseeing the Conservative election campaign? The Times has been looking at the man, and the influence he has over the party. Sam Coates writes: "The mythology around "Lynton" is bigger than the man — a backroom fixer hired to save the Tory party from itself. The Westminster bubble fixates on him to such a degree that they dispense with his surname, without most of them ever having heard him speak." You can read the piece here.

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Another voice comes out criticising the Speaker over on Coffeehouse. LBC presenter and former political editor of the Sunday Express, Julia Hartley-Brewer contrasts John Bercow's tenure with "the good old days, when Betty Boothroyd was Speaker". She writes: "If Boothroyd was the feared but respected headmistress of the House, Bercow is the cocky supply teacher who foolishly thinks that all the kids will love him and his 'I'm not wearing a tie/wig' modernity."

She concludes Bercow has lost the respect of the House and "should hang up his gown right now".

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It's just a few hours now until Ed Miliband and David Cameron are grilled by Jeremy Paxman in the first major election TV event. On Today this morning, James Naughtie profiled the Labour leader, reporting how Mr Miliband's supporters say he is more determined than his critics allow, and say he will be lifted by the campaign to allow his passions to show. You can listen to the piece here.

The State Opening of the new Parliament after the general election will be on 27 May, Downing Street has just announced. Parliament will meet on 18 May, when the business will be the election of the Speaker and the swearing-in of members.

A move to change the way the Commons Speaker is elected was defeated earlier, as we've been reporting. Over on the Telegraph, however, Dan Hodges reckons John Bercow's position is now untenable. He writes: "His role is to be an impartial guardian of parliamentary process and order. Yet his mere presence in the chair is now regularly producing parliamentary division and mayhem." You can read his argument here.

tweets: "I leave here as I came here, with an unquenchable faith in a future that we can build and share together" Gordon Brown in last speech as MP

tweets: State Opening of Parliament will be on 27 May, say No10. So that's 19 days to form a government.

tweets: PM: I will ask Her Majesty to summon the new Parliament to meet on Mon 18 May. The State Opening of Parliament will follow on Weds 27 May.

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The New Statesman's George Eaton predicts the polls mean Ed Miliband is the most likely to become prime minister.

He writes: "If Labour and the SNP hold at least 323 seats between them (the number required for a majority excluding the abstentionist Sinn Fein), the prime minister will have no means of survival. Even if the two parties fall short of this total, Cameron could still be forced to depart if they outnumber the votes he can amass. It is this that creates the possibility that, for the first time since 1924 (when Ramsay MacDonald became the inaugural Labour prime minister), the second-largest party could form the government."

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As Parliament prorogues, the MPs left in the Commons shake hands with the Speaker. Here's William Hague and John Bercow sharing a moment after the former tried to change the rules for the way the latter is elected, earlier today.

Ahead of tonight's TV event involving David Cameron and Ed Miliband, Channel 4 News has been speaking to one of the hosts - Jeremy Paxman - about claims he is a Conservative. Mr Paxman was reported to have said after leaving the BBC he was a one-nation Tory and was approached to be Conservative candidate for London mayor. You can watch the footage here.

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The end of the Parliamentary session is known as prorogue, or prorogation, and it involves some odd actions and a bit of Norman French being spoken in Westminster.

MPs are summoned the the House of Lords to hear the massent to various bills, which is shown by the use of the phrase, La Reine le veult - the Queen desires it - being repeated.

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Parliament is in the process of closing down for the election at the moment. This picture shows MPs filing out of the Commons chamber to join peers in the House of Lords, having been summoned by Black Rod.

Black Rod, the ceremonial head of security in the House of Lords, is sent to the House of Commons to retrieve MPs.

Is the election lacking inspiration? That's the question Mark Mardell has been looking at in our website today, where he writes about "the almost total lack of passion, vision or big ideas." You can read Mark's piece here.

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‏tweets: In the prorogation ceremony coming up-they even use a bit of Norman French language 'La Reyne le veult'-translated as 'The Queen wishes it'

Over on the Guardian website, Marcus Roberts has been taking a look forward to tonight's TV grilling of David Cameron and Ed Miliband. He says the Sky/Channel 4 event will the the closest Mr Miliband gets to the head-to-head debate he craved and that he is likely to have prepared intensively. More here.

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A war of words has broken out between Jim Murphy and Boris Johnson today, over Labour plans to use revenues from a mansion tax - disproportionately affecting properties in London and the south east - to pay for 1,000 nurses north of the border.

Speaking to the Evening Standard, the London Mayor said: "We need to grow all our great cities not diminish one in the mistaken belief it will help grow others. Using London as a cash cow is playing the politics of divide and rule and it's grubby."

Scottish Labour leader Mr Murhpy has hit back, saying in statement: "I am not going to stop standing up for the best interests of Scotland because it offends Boris Johnson. It's no surprise that a Tory mayor is getting upset about a Labour plan to get thousands of young Scots a job. The reality is that we can raise taxes on those who have the most to redistribute across the whole of the UK to those who need support."

tweets: Is a shame today's shambolic and personal row in parliament over the speaker won't be noticed by most people - it seems quite revealing

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William Hague, wrapping up the valedictory debate, is paying tribute to those MPs who are standing down. On Gordon Brown, he says he disagreed with "virtually everything in his career" - but thanks for him being prime minister and serving in the Commons for 32 years.

Today is William Hague's birthday, shadow leader of the house Angela Eagle says as she contributed to the valedictory debate. ""I suspect he's had rather happier birthdays", Ms Eagle adds - no doubt a reference to Mr Hague's defeat earlier in his attempts to change the way the Speaker is elected.

tweets: Overwhelmingly believe the next Parliament will be worse off without Brooks Newmark representing #Braintree - a huge loss #valedictorydebate

tweets: Watching valedictory debate on BBC Parliament getting quite emotional! #JackStraw

tweets: Will the Tory Party repay the vast sums their Government squandered in legal costs trying to block publication of Prince Charles letters?

tweets: Labour sources admit they would not have got MPs back in sufficient numbers to save #Bercow without time from 3 urgent questions he granted

tweets: Loving listening to the valedictory debate in the Commons. Easily forgotten how much of their lives alot of MPs give up to Parliament

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Over on Coffeehouse, Sebastian Payne has blogged about the timing of the comments Vince Cable made at Business Questions earlier today - when the business secretary said that the Lib Dems "would not go along" with an exit from the EU. Mr Payne says: "By emphasising the party's position just before the election campaign begins, Cable is ensuring that the Tories know that — in the event of another hung parliament — they will have to pay quite a price to have an EU referendum."

tweets: Very much enjoyed taking part in the @sheffieldstar hustings and debating the issues that matter in Sheffield Hallam.

That's it from us this afternoon folks, and in summary of today I guess you could say "it's been emotional". Tears were held back earlier as the government was narrowly defeated in its attempt to change the rules around electing Speakers. Labour saw the move as trying to oust John Bercow, who was captured glaring defiantly at William Hague when the vote came through in his favour. Stay tuned for the rest of the day, we leave you in the capable hands of Nick Eardley and Sarah Weaver.

Just 11,223 votes across the country could be required to secure a Conservative majority on 7 May, Tory MPs were told in a briefing led by election guru Lynton Crosby. In a packed meeting in Parliament, the MPs were told how it was "basically impossible" for Labour to achieve an overall majority but that the Tories needed to gain just 23 seats. The young volunteers in Team 2015 will play a key role knocking on doors in marginal seats, with the promise of "food, drink and social interaction", a senior source said.

A bit more on news the Lib Dems are facing a police investigation over allegations they received donations in breach of party funding rules.

The Electoral Commission says it passed details of the alleged breaches to the Metropolitan Police as they were potentially a "criminal matter".

The allegations relate to recent reports by The Daily Telegraph and the Channel 4 Dispatches programme.

A Liberal Democrat spokesman says: "When the party was notified of the allegations, we immediately referred them to the Electoral Commission and have fully complied with their inquiries. "We will continue to cooperate with any investigation."

tweets: Eric Joyce in his last speech as Falkirk MP says "It's been my great privilege to serve"

tweets : Graham Brady, chair of the Tory 1922 backbench committee, voted against his own government on eve of general election. Now that is historic.

tweets: Here are the Tory and Lib Dem MPs who helped defeat the Government over Speaker John Bercow, via @timsculthorpe

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tweets: Andrew Lansley quotes Roosevelt as he says in valedictory speech in Commons:"the credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena"

The Electoral Commission says it has referred two allegations the Liberal Democrats received donations in breach of party funding rules to the Metropolitan Police.

tweets: Just four Liberal Democrats joined 198 Tories in the aye lobby as they slipped to a 26 vote defeat.

tweets : Machiavelli on plotting: “If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared.” #Bercow

Tweets : Losers are often turned into national sweethearts when they're out of power. William Hague screwed that up with his grubby behaviour today

Now Sir John Stanley, the MP for Tonbridge and Malling,has served as Conservative MP since 1974.

He has served as a minister and on the Foreign Affairs Committee. He was also Parliamentary Private Secretary to Margaret Thatcher during her time as Leader of the Opposition.

Dame Tessa Jowell bids goodbye to the Commons.

Labour's former culture secretary is planning to run for mayor of London in 2016.

The MP was first elected to Parliament in 1992; and was a key figure behind the London bid for the 2012 Olympics.

She announced in November 2013 she would stand down as an MP at the 2015 general election.

tweets : On #c4news tonight, & online very soon. My doorstep with Paxman on whether he's a Tory. Also doorsteps with Kay Burley and my C4 boss

We've just heard from Peter Hain, now it's former leader of the house Jack Straw giving his valedictory speech. He calls for more reform of parliament, despite the fact that reforms that have been made, which have made government more accountable to parliamentarians. He says Prime Minsiter's Questions is in urgent need of reform. As a first step he calls for PMQ's to return to two 15 minutes sessions on a Tuesday and a Thursday as they once were, before further reforms can be introduced.

Speaker John Bercow pays tribute to Mr Straw telling him he "leaves this place a highly-regarded figure" a possible reference to the recent Telegraph sting in which Mr Straw and Conservative MP Malcolm Rifkind became embroiled.

A parliamentary candidate has been suspended by the Liberal Democrats after he was arrested over child sex abuse allegations.

Jason Zadrozny was standing in the Ashfield and Eastwood constituency in Nottinghamshire.

Police said the allegations related to one child. Get the full story here .

BBCCopyright: BBC

Here's a video of the emotional moment Speaker John Bercow announces the results of a vote to try and change the rules on electing Commons speakers.

tweets : Grubby Tory coup attempt against the Speaker rightly defeated - William Hague's parliamentary career ending in a sad & tatty fashion

Tweets : Game, set and match Mr #Speaker

Tweets : Gordon Brown says he's going to "fight, fight, fight" for this country. Did Cheryl Cole write his leaving speech?

"Now 32 years on, it is for others to judge between then and now what I have achieved," Gordon Brown says. He says he leaves parliament but not public life. But that he remains concerned about the future of the country.Our greatest successes have come not when we have looked inward, he warns."We must never allow ourselves to become spectators, watchers on the shore," he adds.

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown uses his last Commons appearance to tell MPs that while he is leaving the House he will "fight and fight and fight again" against the separation of the union between Scotland; and against social injustice.

"The UK today is fragile and it is at risk," from separation, he says. "Countries at their best are more than place on a map and more than demarcations of borders."

For the UK to lead in the world, its various parts must "work together". The best countries stand on "shared foundations" and with the wealth of the nation justly shared, he says.

Before the result was announced Labour MPs loudly cheered, knowing they had won the vote. When Mr Bercow shouted "order", as is customary before the start of a vote, a shout could be heard from Tory benches: "You won't be saying that in a month."

We're into the valedictory speeches by retiring MPs. And there's a nice gag from former prime minister Gordon Brown who says it is traditional for MPs to give up their allegiance to their political party on becoming Speaker of the House of Commons. "You, Mr Speaker, gave up your party allegiance long before," he quips.

Tweets : The look on Bercow's face, pure theatre, some voters may find anguish & fury expended on HoC internal affairs baffling tho

tweets: Humiliation for Gove, Hague and Cameron.... Extraordinary loss for Cameron who came back from Coventry (on the taxpayer) to take part....

It's going to take a few minutes to count everyone through so we're looking at a result being announced at 13:35 GMT. In case you missed the recent BBC series 'Inside the Commons', what happens is those who vote 'yes' for a bill/motion go into one room and those who vote 'no' into another and there is a physical headcount as they enter the room.