Cameron: Every vote matters tomorrow – use yours wisely
‘That is the simple, inescapable choice tomorrow: me leading a strong and stable government, or with Ed Miliband, the chaos of being held to ransom by the SNP. Your vote can and will make a difference at this election. It’s that close. There is no room for protest voting, or voting for marginal parties — unless you are happy to get Ed Miliband in No 10. All the numbers show it: a vote for Ukip is a vote for Ed Miliband. A vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote for Ed Miliband. A vote for anyone apart from the Conservatives risks Britain and its economic recovery grinding to a halt. So when you are standing in the polling booth tomorrow, ask yourself this question: who will take our country in the right direction long-term?’ – David Cameron, The Times (£)
- The Prime Minister warns against Miliband using a ‘con trick’ to gain power – The Times (£)
- Spread betters back a Tory victory – FT
- He will claim legitimacy immediately if he has most MPs – Daily Telegraph
- Britain’s economy surges past France – Daily Telegraph
- Esther McVey discusses the sexist campaign against her – Daily Telegraph
>Today: ToryDiary: In principle, a Labour-SNP Government would have legitimacy in England. In practice, however, there’s a danger that it would not.
The Daily Mail endorses the Conservatives to save the nation…
‘For sanity’s sake, this paper passionately urges readers to keep Mr Miliband’s hands off the levers of power. In most constituencies, of course, this can only mean voting Conservative. And to Ukip voters we make a special plea. No one understands better than the Mail your frustrations over EU interference and the Coalition’s failure to keep its promises to bring down immigration to manageable levels. But the brutal truth is that only Mr Cameron will deliver the in/out referendum that offers the one hope of regaining control of our borders.’ – Daily Mail Leader
- 50 suggestions for where to vote tactically – Daily Mail
- 40 Tory triumphs – Daily Mail
- Boris: Blairites should vote Tory – The Guardian
- Tactical voters might make all the difference – FT
- Labour has wrecked the economy time and again – Sir John Major, Daily Telegraph
- Don’t just vote for yourself, vote for your country – Tim Stanley, Daily Telegraph
>Today: Dominic Raab on Comment: Let’s not throw away this chance to build an Opportunity Society
…as does The Sun…
‘Almost 32 years ago Britain overwhelmingly rejected socialism. Tomorrow, we will do so again in vast numbers. But this time, socialism may be forced on us whether we like it or not. You can help stop it by voting Conservative. Unless the Tories get enough seats, Ed Miliband’s hard-Left Labour Party will sneak into power as a minority government with a nod and a wink from the even more extreme SNP.’ – The Sun Says (£)
- Cameron goes on a 36-hour campaign tour – The Sun (£)
- The party leaders make a last push in Scotland – The Scotsman
- Number 10 pays the living wage, but Doncaster council doesn’t – The Sun (£)
…while The Times backs another Con-Lib coalition
‘Mr Cameron would govern better with a clear Tory majority but the polls now indicate that is a remote possibility. The choice seems to come down to a Labour party propped up by Scottish Nationalists or the Conservatives in a renewed coalition with the Liberal Democrats. The former would tear at the heart of the Union and unpick hard-won gains since the recession. The latter would advance the cause of enterprise and freedom in which The Times believes.’ – The Times Leader (£)
- Conservatives mull another yellow alliance – Daily Mail
- Oliver Letwin instructed to work on a possible deal – FT
- Without us there’ll be a second election before Christmas, says Clegg – Daily Mail
- It seems nothing will dampen the Deputy Prime Minister’s optimism – FT
- Cable bullish in Twickenham – FT
- The system needs reform – The Guardian Leader
>Today: Ryan Bourne’s column: When Clegg claimed over two in five families are vulnerable. And other thoughts on this election campaign
A three point Tory lead – but one in six are still undecided
‘The ComRes survey suggests crucial momentum lies with David Cameron’s party, who are on 35 per cent to Labour’s 32 per cent. Last week, the pollster had the two main parties tied. But 15 per cent – nearly one in six – of those who said they are likely or very likely to vote are still completely undecided. The poll will lift Tory spirits in the closing hours of the campaign – suggesting they are on course to be the largest party again. However, the lead is nowhere near big enough for a Conservative majority.’ – Daily Mail
- A two point Tory lead – Daily Telegraph
- This could drag on for a month – The Times (£)
- How might 8th May play out? – FT
- There’ll be ten days to decide – The Sun (£)
- How is the mansion tax going down in Hampstead? – The Times (£)
- Religious sect agrees to campaign in marginals – The Times (£)
>Yesterday: Lord Ashcroft on Comment: The Conservatives lead by two points in this week’s Ashcroft National Poll
Sarah Vine reveals the principles and secrets of Cabinet-level politics
‘Politics is the opposite of meritocratic: keep your head down and get on with your job, and you’ll get no glory. Spend your days conniving and plotting, and you’ll rise straight to the top. Just ask John Bercow…All the mugs around the Cabinet table have a number engraved on their bottoms to stop ministers pinching them. There’s even someone whose job it is to check they’re all still there at the end of meetings.’ – Sarah Vine, Daily Mail
- Sikh Tory candidate forbidden from boarding Dubai plane unless he removed turban – Daily Mail
The class of 2015: biggest influx of new blood since 1997 expected
‘Up to 235 new MPs are forecast to enter the Commons after the general election — the highest number since 1997. An election bloodbath could see as many as 145 incumbent candidates fail in their bid to be re-elected this week, according to calculations made by the parliamentary expenses watchdog.’ – The Times (£)
- Give thanks for those who enter public service – Alice Thomson, The Times (£)
- Asian voters are being bullied into postal vote fraud, ex-prosecutor warns – The Times (£)
Carving his promises in stone doesn’t mean Ed won’t break them, admits Rachel Reeves
‘Miss Powell admitted that being etched in stone did not mean that Mr Miliband would stick to the pledges. She told BBC Radio 5Live: ‘The point we are trying to make is Ed Miliband has been really clear about this throughout the campaign. He stands by his pledges and his promises. I don’t think anyone is suggesting that the fact that he’s carved them into stone means, you know, that he absolutely is not going to break them or anything like that.’ – Daily Mail
- Labour’s utopia is a risky fantasy – Daniel Finkelstein, The Times (£)
- Neither main party is competent – Martin Wolf, FT
- How did the Labour leader change his image? – FT
- Footage unearthed of “Ted” Miliband’s first strike – The Times (£)
Kinnock predicts ‘shy Tories’ will plump for tax cuts instead of Miliband
‘He said: “People who tell pollsters they’re not sure, or they’re not going to vote Conservative, will, in the privacy of the ballot booth, say: ‘To hell with it, I’ll stick with what I know because they say they’re going to cut my taxes’.” Mr Kinnock – one of Red Ed’s army of advisers – insisted the belief about Tory tax cuts was more a “triumph of propaganda over reality” as the Conservative record is putting taxes up.’ – The Sun (£)
- Red Ed says he’s ‘optimistic’ – Daily Telegraph
- They’ll take us back to the bad old days – Digby Jones, The Sun (£)
- Labour is founded on hatred – Tom Conti, Daily Mail
- Candidate opposing NHS privatisation signed off £11m in private contracts – The Sun (£)
- Candidate jailed for ticket fraud – Daily Mail
>Yesterday: Rebecca Coulson’s column: Two million jobs – two million real lives improving – versus the easy words of anti-austerity
Scottish unions press for Labour-SNP deal
‘Ed Miliband is coming under growing pressure from Scottish union officials and members to work with the SNP and block the Conservatives from power. With Nicola Sturgeon’s party pledging to put the Labour leader in Downing Street after the election, thousands of workers from unions affiliated to Mr Miliband’s party have signed up to a new trade union group founded by the SNP, boosting its membership 15-fold in less than nine months.’ – The Times (£)
- Labour must be honest about the possibility – Daily Telegraph Leader
- Brown rejects the idea of an alliance ‘on principle’ – FT
- Major warns against tearing the UK apart – Daily Telegraph
- I’m not anti-English, claims Sturgeon – Daily Mail
- A close-up look at the SNP surge – Dan Hodges, Daily Telegraph
- 70 per cent of voters don’t think nationalists should be allowed to veto UK policies – The Independent
>Today: Henry Hill’s Red, White and Blue column: Welsh Labour coy on pact with Plaid
Farage urges his supporters to vote UKIP ‘everywhere’
‘”Vote Ukip wherever you are,” Mr Farage said in an exclusive interview on the campaign trail in his battle to become MP for South Thanet. “In our target seats, if you vote Ukip you’ll get Ukip. But even in those seats that we don’t win, every single vote for Ukip is a vote for change, a change in direction for our country but also a change in our voting system because the one we’ve got doesn’t work anymore.”‘ – Daily Express
- ‘People’s Army’ suspends candidate for threatening to shoot his Tory opponent – Daily Mail
- UKIP supporter ‘assaulted’ – Daily Express
- When Joey met Nigel – Daily Telegraph
- Fringe parties prepare for centre stage – FT
- May refuses migrant quote – Daily Mail
>Yesterday: Local Government: UKIP councillor defects to the Conservatives
Juncker: Anglo-saxons are plotting to destroy the Euro
‘Hostile speculators in the City of London are waiting to destroy the single currency if Greece leaves the eurozone, the president of the European Commission has warned. Jean-Claude Juncker said that the “Anglo-Saxon world” — code for financiers in London and on Wall Street — would seek to tear apart the euro if it showed any sign of cracking.’ – The Times (£)
- Greece introduces ATM tax – Daily Mail
Headteacher calls for all state schools to become boarding schools
‘Every state secondary in the country should become a boarding school because it would create a ‘civilising’ atmosphere, according to a leading head master. Sir Anthony Seldon called for boarding facilities to be built to cater for at least 10 per cent of pupils at all schools and said it could even work at tough inner-city comprehensives. He said having boarders at a school could help reduce issues like knife crime because pupils would feel the buildings were ‘somebody’s home’.’ – Daily Mail
‘Misleading’ Greenpeace anti-shale gas advert banned
‘A Greenpeace advert opposing fracking has been banned for claiming experts agreed that the process would not cut energy bills. The national press ad said: “Fracking threatens our climate, our countryside and our water. Yet experts agree – it won’t cut our energy bills.” The Labour peer Lord Lipsey, who said he understood there was a range of views on the subject, complained that the ad was misleading for claiming experts were in agreement.’ – Daily Telegraph
>Today: ToryDiary: Reasons to be Tory 13) A sovereign wealth fund for the North of England
News in Brief
- Former IRA man shot dead in Belfast – Daily Mail
- We should take part in Putin’s war memorial parade – Roger Boyes, The Times (£)
- Society braced for avalanche of Royal Baby memorabilia – Daily Mail
- Russia unveils new tank – The Times (£)
- Defence spending is as important as aid – Andrew Allison, Yorkshire Post
- NATO launches war games – Daily Telegraph
- How people on Tinder and Snapchat are voting – WalesOnline
- Germanwings pilot practised his crash on a previous flight – Daily Telegraph
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