‘In what aides billed as one of the campaign’s most important speeches, the Tory leader will challenge voters to consult their “gut instinct” on which party is more likely to keep down taxes, saying: “When you’re standing in the polling booth, ask yourself: on the things that matter in your life, who do you really trust? When it comes to your tax bill: do you trust the people who taxed you to the hilt when they were in power and still haven’t come clean about the taxes they want to increase next time round?” Mr Cameron will bolster his pledge by proposing legislation to enshrine the promise of no increases in income tax, NI and VAT (now 20 per cent) for the lifetime of the next parliament.’ – The Times (£)
>Today: ToryDiary: Reasons to be Tory 8) The fuel duty freeze
‘George Osborne has declared Britain’s recovery is now “on the ballot paper” after it emerged growth halved in the first three months of the year. The economy grew by just 0.3 per cent amid fears of renewed international turmoil. The surprise tailing off before polling day came after two unbroken years of powerful growth that saw Britain booming.’ – The Sun (£)
‘Culture and Media Secretary Sajid Javid has complained of ‘bias’ in the BBC’s election coverage and threatened a review of how the Corporation is governed. Senior Tories have been increasingly frustrated by what they claim is a Left-leaning slant to much of the BBC’s coverage, which Mr Javid said sometimes left him thinking: ‘What was that? I’m sure they could have done a more balanced job.’’ – Daily Mail
‘The Tories will give parents of summer-born children the right to delay their entry to school, the Education Secretary said today. Nicky Morgan said one of the first things she will do if the Conservatives win the election is review the rules which have seen some councils putting obstacles in parents’ way. Experts say children born between April and August tend to do worse at school because they are one of the youngest in their year and fall behind those who are older.’ – Daily Mail
>Yesterday: WATCH: Clegg sets out his coalition red lines
‘The political parties are not the only people on tenterhooks ahead of the election on May 7: the reputations of Britain’s pollsters are also on the line. For now, they cannot agree who is in the lead: on Monday, Lord Ashcroft put the Tories ahead by 6 points, suggesting a majority for David Cameron. Populus said Labour was 3 points in front — a win for Ed Miliband’s party.’ – FT
‘Experts accuse the Government of undermining a salt reduction programme which had saved thousands of lives. They say that replacing it with the controversial ‘responsibility deal’ – which focused on health initiatives led by the food industry – was a ‘major step backwards’. As a result, efforts to reduce the amount of salt in food stalled and thousands of lives may have been lost.’ – Daily Mail
‘Ed Miliband was condemned as ‘desperate and pathetic’ for agreeing to be interviewed by controversial comedian and self-styled revolutionary Russell Brand. The Labour leader even travelled to Brand’s £2million home in trendy Hoxton, East London, on Monday night to be questioned in his kitchen for a YouTube video. Brand, a former drug addict, has previously urged his millions of Twitter followers not to ‘bother’ voting and admitting he has never voted himself.’ – Daily Mail
Editorials
>Today: The Deep End: Why do intelligent politicians produce so many stupid policies?
‘Between 1997 and last year, 65 per cent of the country’s 2.7million extra housing units were headed by a foreigner. And in the peak period – 2005 to 2009 – the figure rose to a staggering 89 per cent. MigrationWatch researchers say the influx – the equivalent of a new home being needed every four minutes – pushed up property prices and rents.’ – Daily Mail
‘I wouldn’t dream of telling Ukip supporters how to vote. But this election is a game changer. A vote for Nigel risks handing it to the most socialist Labour Party since the days of Michael Foot. I know where I’m putting my cross.’ – Trevor Kavanagh, The Sun (£)
‘The advent of multi-party politics poses questions not just for the constitution and the shape of the next government, it also creates a headache for the producers of the BBC’s election coverage and the latest incarnation of its swingometer. Faced with the most complex and unpredictable election in a generation, presenter Jeremy Vine will unveil no fewer than four different swingometers on 7 May, each of them imposed on to the clock faces of a virtual version of the Westminster tower that houses Big Ben.’ – The Guardian
>Today:
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: Remember when eternal coalition was supposedly a positive prospect?
‘The rise of the green car means that a record seven out of ten buyers now pay no road-tax on the first year of ownership of a brand new motor, even on family and luxury vehicles. But a report has warned that while our cars are now less polluting, this will create a potential £1.3billion black hole for the Treasury – and may spell a car tax hike down the line.’ – Daily Mail