Campaign countdown - 3 May

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This was meant to be the most exciting election in British history. The first in living memory where no-one dared to predict the outcome. That still remains the case, so why are some complaining about how dull the campaign has been? Over to BBC political reporter Brian Wheeler.

Ed Miliband's 8ft (2.4m) stone - engraved with Labour manifesto pledges - has drawn a fair amount of flak on social media. But the #EdStone, as it was quickly labelled, is just the latest in a long line of political props, some more successful than others. BBC News takes a look at the chequered history of political props.

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The Guardian's Nick Watt reports that the former Conservative chancellor, Ken Clarke, has warned a second general election later this year after an inconclusive result on 7 May would resolve little - and probably produce a similar outcome.

He writes: "In a warning to the main political parties, which are making tentative plans for a second election as opinion polls suggest that Labour and the Tories are largely tied, Clarke said: 'You can get out of a hung parliament by having a second election but, not surprisingly, the public tends to return a parliament which looks rather like the first one.'"

Prime Minister David Cameron has been accused of "ducking" one of the last set-piece events of the general election campaign.

More than 2,200 voters are expected to put questions to the three main parties on issues including pay-day lending, social care and the living wage, at a rally staged by community-organising charity, Citizens UK.

Labour leader Ed Miliband and Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg will be taking part but it will be Culture Secretary Sajid Javid who represents the Conservatives.

Mr Clegg said the decision was typical of the Tories' "bloodless and uninspiring" campaign and Labour said it showed the PM was unable to defend his record.

However, Conservatives sources said that it had been made clear some time ago that Mr Cameron would be unable to attend due to campaigning commitments elsewhere in the country.

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Comedian Steve Coogan has given Labour his backing ahead of next week's general election. In a video for the party he urged voters to back Labour, saying the Conservatives would "dismantle" the NHS if they won power.

He’s not the only celeb to endorse Ed Miliband's party this weekend. Writing in the Daily Mirror, cookery writer and TV presenter Delia Smith said Labour was the best party to "nurture and sustain" the NHS and would save Britain from being "cut adrift" internationally.

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Earlier tonight during a BBC debate, Scotland's party leaders clashed over public spending cuts in the next UK parliament.

The live programme from Edinburgh was the last final pre-election debate between the Conservatives' Ruth Davidson, Labour' s Jim Murphy, the SNP's Nicola Sturgeon and Lib Dem Willie Rennie.

More here.

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Ed Miliband's decision to set his party's six pledges in stone (yes, literally) has been causing a bit of a stir today.

Iain Martin derides the move in a piece for CapX: "It is such a mind-bendingly bad idea that it is difficult to figure out what on earth his advisers thought they were doing when they crafted this plan. Large slabs with writing carved on it suggest tombstones and in this context political death."

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At an event for party activists earlier today, David Cameron praised his party's record in government.

He told a crowd in Nuneaton that the Conservatives had created jobs, grown the economy and cut the deficit. "Let's turn the good news in our economy into a good life for more people in our country", he said.

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The position of the parties on Europe are set to be key both in the run-up to the election and in any possible coalition negotiations afterwards.

BBC political correspondent Ben Wright outlines the position of some of the main parties.

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Calling all political geeks... your bank holiday Sunday is about to get a whole lot better. The legendary Peter Snow has dusted off his swingomenter and is taking viewers through "60 years of swing" over on the BBC Parliament channel. What better way to get in the mood for Thursday's election.

Political commentator Andrew Rawnsley is unhappy with the way this general election campaign is being run. It's "shrill yet sterile" and "a terrible let-down", with the big issues avoided and the public dodged, he writes in The Guardian.

"It is not surprising that there seem to be an unprecedentedly large number of swithering voters this close to the moment of national decision. Where voters have expressed a yearning for more honesty, they have been met with evasion and obfuscation.

"Where we needed engagement between the political class and a disillusioned electorate, the campaigns have devoted their greatest efforts to protecting their leaders from the public. Where we needed a searching debate about our country, the voters are being asked to go to the polling stations wearing blindfolds."

In more Ed Miliband news, remember the #milifandom group of his supporters? Well, the founder, a Twitter user who says she is a 17-year-old girl, has said the Labour leader called her for a chat on the phone.

In a series of tweets, she said: "Just had an amazing phone call with someone amazing and it was amazing. Ed totally just rang me up. He is amazing! Such an amazing amazing guy so amazing I'm so grateful and he is just amazing #VoteLabour."

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If you thought awkward shows of affection between party leaders and their wives were just reserved for the end of party conference speech, think again. It appears it's hit the campaign trail too. Here's Ed Miliband and his wife, Justine, embracing on a visit to Harrow, London, earlier today.

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And that's it - the final Scottish party leaders' debate has come to an end, and the party leaders politely shake hands. The debate may have ended but the party spin machines are sure to be in full flow.

The panel are now taking questions on housing, which is a devolved issue.

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon says the SNP, in the Scottish Parliament, want to build 30,000 homes in the lifetime of this parliament.

Labour leader Jim Murphy says 95% of all money spent on housing in Scotland is spent on benefits, and underlines what he sees as the importance of regulating rents in the private sector so landlords can't rip young people off.

Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie agrees with Ms Sturgeon, and says it is important to build hundreds of thousands of homes across the UK.

But Conservative leader Ruth Davidson criticises the SNP for scrapping the help to buy scheme in housing. But Ms Sturgeon says the scheme "has had its day".

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The four-strong panel are now discussing tactical voting. "I don't agree with it on principle," says Scots Conservative leader Ruth Davidson.

This is the SNP's problem, says the Conservatives' Ruth Davidson, "they try and conflate the country and the party". "Absolutely", Mr Murphy can be heard saying in the background.

Lib Dem Willie Rennie adds: "If you vote SNP at this election and every election it's for another referendum."

Ms Sturgeon has a chance to respond, and insists: "Even if we win every single seat in Scotland, it is not a mandate for another referendum on independence."

"I'm moving on," says moderator BBC political correspondent Glenn Campbell.

Lots of discussion now about the prospect of a future independence referendum (earlier Ms Sturgeon was accused of not giving a straight answer on the SNP's aims).

Jim Murphy says the SNP has constantly changed its position and, turning to Ms Sturgeon, says surely we can agree that there should be a moratorium for the next five or six years on another referendum on Scottish independence.

Ms Sturgeon responds by saying the only parties talking about another referendum are these ones. "This election isn't about independence," she insists, "it's about making Scotland's voice heard".

What if the Conservatives don't win a majority, wouldn't the party be in hock to the DUP and UKIP?

Ruth Davidson says the Tories only need 23 more seats "and we think we can get that majority".

We've taken a "principled stance" and said we would not do any deals with any nationalist parties, as we do not want to put our United Kingdom at risk.

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Jim Muprhy insists that Labour will not do a post-election deal with the SNP if it falls short of a majority.

But how will you get a budget passed if you don't win a majority? Mr Murphy turns the question on Nicola Sturgeon - and challenges her to say under what circumstances she would vote against Labour and with the Conservatives.

Ms Sturgeon says the SNP would not vote for a Labour budget that proposed more spending cuts - saying the party would fight for a fairer deal.

"The cat is out the bag," declares Mr Murphy. "The SNP are clear that after Friday they are willing to bring down a Labour budget and Labour's Queen Speech."

The polls show neither Labour nor the Conservatives will win an outright majority on 7 May, which shows voters want smaller parties to be involved in government, says Nicola Sturgeon. They'll have to accept that, she says, adding that either of the two main parties will have to work with others - formally or informally - to get measures through.

Jim Murphy and Nicola Sturgeon are at loggerheads now. Mr Murphy sounds a warning about the SNP's plans for full fiscal autonomy for Scotland, which he says will leave a £7.6bn hole in the budget. This would lead to deep austerity, he says.

But the SNP leader dismisses it as "mythology" on behalf of a "desperate" Labour Party.

Lib Dem Will Rennie intervenes to say there are a lot of people in Scotland who are very concerned about the impact of full fiscal autonomy.

Fifteen minutes in and it has descended into chaos. There's clearly no love lost between Ruth Davidson and Jim Murphy. She accuses the Scots Labour leader of "an outright lie" over claims he made on benefit sanctions.

"He's peddling a falsehood that he knows is fictitious," she says, prompting Mr Murphy's to respond: "How dare you call me a liar."

It's hard to make out what they're saying now as they're both shouting over each other.

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson is challenged over the Conservatives' plans to cut the welfare bill. She says she gets angry that the other parties want to leave welfare as it is. They're happy for people to languish on benefits but I want to see people helped into work, she says. Mr Murphy says he doesn't care that she's angry - because he's angry that food bank usage has increased under the coalition government.

Jim Murphy strays slightly from a question on tax cuts to say his party would abolish "exploitative zero-hours contracts" if it wins power on 7 May.

William Rennie takes aim at Nicola Sturgeon, saying her answer to high levels of debt is "even more debt". She has very little credibility on the economy, he says. The Lib Dem plan however will see more investment in public services, he adds.

Ms Sturgeon contests his assertions, saying the SNP is proposing health spending across the UK should increase by £24bn by 2020.

The first question to the four-strong panel: Are political parties understating the scale of tax rises and spending cuts to eliminate the deficit just to get into power?

No, says Scottish Lib Dem Willie Rennie. We need to balance books and as early as possible to not burden future generations. But we need to do it fairly, he adds.

For the Scottish Conservatives, Ruth Davidson also stresses the need to eliminate the deficit now so it doesn't fall to future generations. She lays out how the Tories are proposing to do this.

Scottish Labour's Jim Murphy says unlike the Tories, Labour will ask the wealthy to pay more to fund a "fairer" Scotland and see an end to "Tory austerity".

The SNP's Nicola Sturgeon takes a different view on cuts, saying it's time to end austerity.

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Hopefully you've got your cup of tea (or whatever drink takes your fancy) ready - the debate in Edinburgh has just begun. And what a beautiful venue it's in.

We've got more details on Nick Clegg's tipple at a Kent vineyard, thanks to the BBC's Sophie Long who's been keeping a watchful eye on the Lib Dem leader throughout the campaign. It was, she says, a 2010 vintage sparkling rose with which he toasted the country's new princess. She also noted a change in his tone today to one of optimism and hope (or was that the wine talking?)

The leaders have arrived at the Edinburgh venue for tonight's debate and are in make-up, says the BBC's Laura Bicker. She says they've had a hefty day of campaigning and the SNP's Nicola Sturgeon has told her Labour made a "tactical error" when they ruled out a deal with her party.

If you're not in Scotland, there's no need to miss out on the final leaders' debate of the campaign. Watch the SNP's Nicola Sturgeon, Labour's Jim Murphy, Lib Dem Willie Rennie and Conservative Ruth Davidson by clicking the Live Coverage tab above, or on the BBC News Channel.

The issue of the EU could determine who forms the next government, if predictions of a hung parliament prove true.

Europe will be a very important issue to David Cameron if he finds himself short of a majority - as he's said an in/out referendum on the EU is non-negotiable. His potential allies would be the DUP in Northern Ireland, the Liberal Democrats (with Nick Clegg today notably leaving the door ajar to David Cameron's EU referendum plan) and possibly UKIP.

So we had a much clearer idea today that for all of them the issue is essential - and it proves once again that Europe is at stake in this election.

"It was a very kind gesture," said the mother of seven-year-old Amelie Bone, who was lifted onto the prime minister's shoulders to watch the Tour de Yorkshire pass through Addingham earlier today.

Joey told the Press Association: "She got an excellent view and really enjoyed it. Now they are asking to be allowed to stay up all night on Thursday for the results."

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Just a reminder about tonight's debate with Scotland's four main party leaders - the final one before the general election.

Tthe SNP's Nicola Sturgeon, Scottish Labour's Jim Murphy, Liberal Democrat Willie Rennie and Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson will all take part.

The debate, which is being held in Edinburgh, will be chaired by BBC political correspondent Glenn Campbell. You can watch the debate at 19:30 on BBC1 Scotland or on iPlayer.

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The Lib Dem election campaign is shifting "into a different gear", according to leader Nick Clegg, who has been campaigning in Newhaven, East Sussex today. He says the party will be making a "more full-throated appeal" to voters between now and polling day.

He told reporters on his campaign bus: "I think from now until Thursday you will hopefully see a more intense pace in the Lib Dem campaign but also a more full-throated appeal to those strong, compassionate, liberal values of stability, of decency, of unity, which I believe are genuinely under threat if the country takes a wrong turn on Thursday."

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David Cameron takes a break from his busy campaign schedule to join the crowds watching the third stage of the inaugural Tour de Yorkshire.

He helped seven-year-old Amelie Bone get a better view of the race.

Pressed over whether he's "too left-wing" to be prime minister, Ed Miliband responds: "That's not the way I see it."

He refuses to be drawn on whether he would be open to a coalition with the Liberal Democrats, telling Sky News: "I'm not getting into that."

Why aren't you ahead in the polls? Ed Miliband is asked by Sky News' Sophie Ridge. People are still making up their minds, he says: "Its' going to come down to the wire."

Asked if it will be his fault if Labour doesn't win, the leader says he's proud of the campaign he's run and the leadership he's offered. "It's not simply an image contest, it's a contest of ideas," he says.

More from that BBC interview with David Cameron earlier. The Conservative PM told Nick Robinson that if you don't have a plan for Europe "Britain will just drift towards the exit". He added: "The other parties are sticking their head in the sand thinking this issue will go away. It won't."

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David Cameron has been speaking to BBC political editor Nick Robinson about trust, the SNP and Europe. He said he would not "bargain away" an in/out referendum on the EU in the event of post-election coalition negotiations. You can watch the whole interview in full, here.

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"One of the most remarkable features of the SNP’s never-ending fixation on breaking up the United Kingdom is how patient and reasonable the English have remained in the face of repeated provocation," writes Iain Martin in the Telegraph

But how much more Scottishness can England take? Read his thoughts here.

Which combination of parties could theoretically reach 326 seats in the Commons in the event of a hung Parliament? Play our game to find out

There's just four days to go until the election, and the polls remain deadlocked. Will there be a late surge to the Conservatives? That's the question being asked by James Forsyth over at The Spectator.

He says David Cameron has "hit his stride" and the Tories' warnings about the SNP appear to be "cutting through". Add to that the "incumbency effect" and the Conservatives think they'll get more than 290 seats, he says. But it's not yet known if a late shift to the party will materialise.

"On Friday, we’ll know what has happened in terms of seats. But I would be very surprised if a new government is even close to being formed by this time next week."

Our Twitter round-up of the story of the day, #EdStone, surveys some of the comparisons with Moses and The Thick of It - and a touch of Photoshop wizardry inspired by the Labour leader's latest campaign stunt.

Well, that's it from Victoria King and Tom Espiner for today - we're handing over the live page reins to the evening team.

This morning we've had more red lines from the Lib Dems , with party leader Nick Clegg saying that his priorities - including raising public sector pay - would come ahead of the question of an EU referendum in any coalition talks.

David Cameron said he would not be prime minister of a government that failed to deliver an in/out referendum on EU membership.

And Ed Miliband said he would not seek re-election if Labour failed to cut tuition fees in England from £9,000 to £6,000 by 2020, if he wins power.

Mr Miliband also unveiled an 8ft high limestone tablet inscribed with election promises, which he wants to put in the back garden of 10 Downing Street if he wins power. The tablet caused quite a lot of comment from rival politicians and on social media . For example, Boris Johnson said it was "absolutely crazy" that Labour had commissioned the tablet "to be engraved like the commandments of Moses or Hammurabi".

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So Ed Miliband won't stand again for election if he fails to cut tuition fees in England. That was his promise today in Worcester.

But is it any more than a stunt aimed at embarrassing Nick Clegg? Although that alone might help win back seats with high student numbers.

Well, he has etched all six of his election pledges on to a tablet of stone to be erected in the Downing Street garden if he becomes prime minister.

Very few of his staff would own up to having anything to do with it - but it is being dubbed not the "Ed stone" internally but the "torstone" in honour of his policy adviser, Torsten Bell.

But Labour says the serious point is that a symbol such as the stone is necessary to restore faith and trust in politics - to emphasise he really would deliver on promises.

The slight snag in the argument is that some pledges are more equal than others.

Ed Miliband wants to be held to account - but his offer to stand down is specific to tuition fees.

If Labour does fail on its other pledges - for example, on eliminating the current deficit - he would still stand again on his record, not stand aside.

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Instability, uncertainty, chaos. Could those words - used again and again by David Cameron to describe the prospect of a minority Labour government propped up by the SNP - apply to a minority Tory government riven by divisions about Europe?

That's a question I put to the prime minister.

Read Nick's full article.

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UKIP leader Nigel Farage told Andrew Marr this morning that the BBC "didn't need to do entertainment". The remark sparked suggestions that he'd abolish shows like Strictly Come Dancing and Doctor Who - even Nick Clegg expressed horror on the Marr sofa at any possible threat to the former.

Well, according to the Daily Mail, UKIP has released a statement rowing back somewhat.The paper quotes a party spokesman as saying: 'Some people have wilfully misinterpreted Nigel's comments on Andrew Marr this morning.

'Shows like Strictly and Dr Who are the crown jewels of the BBC, but we do not feel that it needs to spend licence-fee payers' money on hundreds of poor to average entertainment shows, as well as left-liberal, London-centric 'comedy'.'

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The former Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer Ken Clarke has given his thoughts on the mood in the country to the Sunday Politics in the East Midlands.

Quote Message: The reason why everyone feels disappointed and things are rather tight at most levels of income, people are not as well off as they expected to be. That is obviously the result of recession and financial collapse and it takes longer to cure it. But we are doing better than practically every other Western democracy. People think, 'Why haven't you sorted it all out by now? Why aren't my wages rising in the way they used to?' And it will take longer." from Ken Clarke

The reason why everyone feels disappointed and things are rather tight at most levels of income, people are not as well off as they expected to be. That is obviously the result of recession and financial collapse and it takes longer to cure it. But we are doing better than practically every other Western democracy. People think, 'Why haven't you sorted it all out by now? Why aren't my wages rising in the way they used to?' And it will take longer."

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It was put to David Cameron in the Q&A after his speech earlier that he hadn't met enough ordinary voters. He disagreed: "I think we have taken our message to the country in all sorts of different ways. In Wetherby last week I did a sort of open air speech to members of the public as well as supporters. My opponent has not done that.

"I have done walkabouts, in places like Alnwick, met people randomly in the streets - my opponent has not done that." It was while in Alnwick, you might remember, that Mr Cameron was serenaded by an expletive-laden ukulele performer.

He continued: "I have been in factories with audiences, sometimes Conservative voters, sometimes undecided voters, sometimes people who would not dream of voting Conservative. I have done it rolled up shirt sleeves, out there in front of people. I have done it sometimes with a lectern in front of me. My opponent seems to have a lectern wherever he goes."

Before the 2010 election both Gordon Brown and David Cameron addressed grassroots political campaign group Citizens UK in the final week before polling day. This time though, the BBC's political correspondent Ross Hawkins confirms that David Cameron wont be there - the Conservatives will be represented by Culture Secretary Sajid Javid. Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg will both speak tomorrow.

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The spot in Rhyl where former deputy prime minister Lord Prescott punched a man who threw an egg at him has been marked with a plaque.

Mr Prescott had been on the campaign trail in Denbighshire before the 2001 general election when the incident with a demonstrator occurred.

Read the full BBC article.

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Boris Johnson has lengthened his lead in a poll of grassroots Conservatvive members on who should be the next party leader.

The London mayor and parliamentary hopeful scored 27% (up one point) in Conservativehome's poll, with Home Secretary Theresa May coming in second at 17% (down three points).

David Cameron has said he won't serve a third term if he remains in power after the election, and he's named Mr Johnson, Mrs May - and his chancellor, George Osborne - as his potential successors. Although Mr Osborne came in fourth of the poll of party members, with 8.3%, behind Sajid Javid on 10%.

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Another scathing Conservative voice reacts to the tablet of stone.

Chief whip Michael Gove says: "Ed Miliband is taking voters completely for granted with this bizarre vanity project. He isn’t just measuring the curtains for No 10 Downing Street, he is commissioning 8ft 6" stone slabs."

Straining the metaphor somewhat, Mr Gove continues: ‘The truth is that no slab - however big - will paper over the cracks in his leadership. And if he gets into Downing Street, Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP will scrawl their demands all over it."

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We've spent all morning talking red lines, but not mentioned the Lib Dem "green line" yet. Nick Clegg revealed it today and it would require the UK government to play a lead role in the Paris climate change talks later this year and to pass a "Nature Act" to improve biodiversity and access to green space.

The green red line only covers one of the Lib Dems' five proposed environmental laws. Among those not covered are a target to decarbonise the power sector by 2030 and a legally binding target for a "zero-carbon Britain" by 2050.

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This looks risky to us. Eating in general is fraught with dangers for the politician, but eating candy floss? Nicola Sturgeon is a brave woman.

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Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has chipped in - sorry - on Labour's decision to carve its commitments in stone. He told activists in Bermondsey, south London, there was nothing "attractive about the instability of a hapless minority Labour administration, regardless of these new great gravestones they are apparently going to erect".

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UKIP's Mark Reckless, of course formerly of the Conservative Party, is asked whether his new party's campaign "peaked too early". On the contrary, he says,"rather than being squeezed into single figures as people suggested" UKIP is now firmly in the mid-teens in terms of percentage points. On Nigel Farage, Mr Reckless says "his energy is absolutely phenomenal".

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Do you agree that it must be the party with the most seats that forms the government, Ed Balls is asked. "In politics, you have to accept the result that people give you," he replies.

Pressed again, presenter Mark Mardell asks if it would it be illegitimate for the smaller of two parties to form a government.

"That is what David Cameron is saying this weekend because he knows he's going to be the first Conservative leader to fail to win a majority... it's clearly nonsense," the shadow chancellor says.

Finally, Mr Balls, would you ever run against your wife for the Labour leadership? "Not on this planet, in this universe, in this century... not ever."

Michael Jacobs, a former special adviser to Gordon Brown, says he doesn't recognise the description of Ed Miliband as someone who struggles to make decisions. He made big changes to the energy market in a relatively short time, Mr Jacobs argues.

But Jason Cowley, from the New Statesman, says Ed Miliband has missed an opportunity to win outright here. Disaffected Lib Dem voters were up for grabs, and there is a bleeding of support from the Conservatives to UKIP. "If Labour can't win in these circumstances they're in real trouble," he adds.

You're haunted by your reputation, by that note, are you not?

Ed Balls replies: "Liam Byrne wrote a silly note. It was intended to be silly and it was indeed a silly note to write. It's something he's reminded about regularly." But the shadow chancellor insists, in 2015 what matters is who's going to make lives better for ordinary families.

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Ed Balls is now on The World This Weekend. He says people are asking whether they can trust what Labour is offering. I think they can, he argues, restating his insistence that his party offer a better alternative for the future.

Is it fair to say that overspending left Britain more exposed to the global financial crisis than other countries? "Of course it's not," Mr Balls replies. "The Tories, of course, for ideological reasons want to blame Labour's spending," but he says the Conservatives backed those spending plans at the time.

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The Conservatives have accused Labour and Plaid Cymru of being involved in an "unedifying squabble" over who to support if there is a hung parliament.

Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb was speaking after Friday's final televised debate before the election.

"There's only one party that's in a position to secure an overall majority and that's the Welsh Conservatives," he told the Sunday Politics Wales show.

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In the spirit of today's Lib Dem red line on public sector pay, the party's schools minister David Laws has told the National Association of Head Teachers that its members should be valued "through their pay packet". He said it was "time to end the period of real pay cuts" for public sector staff. Read our full story.

With just a few days left to win over wavering voters, David Cameron is back to his core message - that under his leadership Britain is on the road to recovery and it would all be put at risk if Ed Miliband were to win power, dependent on the SNP. No matter that the Labour leader has used ever-stronger language to rule out a deal or pact with the Scottish Nationalists, the Conservatives say the figures will make it impossible for Mr Miliband to govern without relying on the SNP to get his programme through.

Tory strategists believe this message is resonating with English voters in key marginal seats, such as Nuneaton where Mr Cameron delivered his speech today.

The strategy could also have significant consequences for the manoeuvring to form a government post-election. If the Conservatives win the most seats but without an overall majority, they are likely to claim that they have a democratic mandate to form the next government. Ed Miliband has been forced into a position where it will be almost impossible for him to count on the SNP. Some form of agreement with the Liberal Democrats is possible but far from certain.

So the Conservative strategy of keeping up the relentless warnings of the risks of Labour in power, relying on the SNP, has boxed Ed Miliband into a position were it could be harder for him to prise David Cameron out of Downing Street.

Chancellor George Osborne has had a dig about the pledge stone. He compared the Labour move to former party leader Neil Kinnock's famous "we're alright!" outburst before the 1992 general election.

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Quote Message: I'm going to leave the landscape gardening part of this to other people. I don't measure the curtains or the gardens... but what I am determined to do - and this is the big difference between me and David Cameron - is that I'm not going to put an expiry date on my promises marked 8 May." from Ed Miliband Labour leader

I'm going to leave the landscape gardening part of this to other people. I don't measure the curtains or the gardens... but what I am determined to do - and this is the big difference between me and David Cameron - is that I'm not going to put an expiry date on my promises marked 8 May."

Quote Message: When you're prime minister a lot of the questions are questions about judgement, about the things you choose to do, the things you choose to spend your time on, the priorities that you have. And I have to say, putting up an 8ft 6" stone monument, tombstone, in the Downing Street garden... I think if you've got a problem with judgement, I don't think that's going to help." from David Cameron Prime minister

When you're prime minister a lot of the questions are questions about judgement, about the things you choose to do, the things you choose to spend your time on, the priorities that you have. And I have to say, putting up an 8ft 6" stone monument, tombstone, in the Downing Street garden... I think if you've got a problem with judgement, I don't think that's going to help."

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David Cameron is now speaking in Nuneaton. He's discussing the SNP threat. "How much would the SNP care about Nuneaton, about Warwickshire?" he asks. "They'd probably need a compass to find it."

He made a similar point last weekend about Shropshire.

In Nuneaton, Mr Cameron also told voters now wasn't the time for a protest vote, and in particular, he warned against voting Lib Dem thinking it would result in his being prime minister. Nick Clegg, he said, had been clear he'd work with Ed Miliband too.

Mr Cameron continued: "Remember this - if you've got an opinion about who you'd prefer as your prime minister, express it at the ballot box. The outcome won't be decided in any other way. Don't risk voting for any other party and hoping that's the outcome. If you want your preferred rime minister, get out there and vote for it."

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In a speech in Worcester, Labour leader Ed MIliband says he won't stand again if Labour fails to cut tuition fees. "I will cut tuition fees from £9,000 to £6,000, and I tell you this: If I fail in this task, I won't be standing here again in 2020 making more promises. I won't be standing for the office of prime minister at all, because there should be consequences when people's trust is let down." He added that he was determined to restore young people's faith in politics.

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"I think the reason a lot of people think it will go the Tories way at the last minute is because they're thinking of psychology," journalist Isabel Oakeshott tells the Sunday Politics. "It is a basic sort of risk aversion among people that if they're not sure, they're more likely to go with what they think is the least risky option." She says that in the last few days the Tories will be really playing to that, scaremongering, and saying, 'You really can't risk the economy again.'"

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"I think it is absolutely crazy that you've already got the Labour leader commissioning great stones that are going to be engraved like the commandments of Moses or Hammurabi with what he wants to do," the London mayor says. "This election is very, very far from a foregone conclusion... The idea of a hung parliament is very far from a foregone conclusion."

Would Boris Johnson accept that the recent welfare changes have had a disproportionate effect on London and started to reshape the capital, forcing the poor out of the centre of the city?

"I don't think that's the case," he says, although "you would expect there to be very substantial moves" in the population over the course of a number of years.

But is it social cleansing? "I don't accept that. I believe passionately that London should be mixed," the Conservative mayor adds.

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"The polls I've seen suggest things are moving fractionally in the direction of the Conservatives," London Mayor Boris Johnson tells the Sunday Politics.

Has anyone told you where these huge cuts in welfare are going to come from, he's asked.

"The cuts that are coming are significantly less than those that have already been done by the coalition," Mr Johnson says, and it "beggars belief" that a further one in a hundred pounds of government spending can't be cut.

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Any Lib Dems who say they would not like to form a coalition with the Conservatives, even if they get a majority, would not be "respecting the democratic will of the country", Danny Alexander, chief secretary to the Treasury, tells Murnaghan. He adds that the Lib Dems have a party conference to sign off any proposed deal to form a government, which he describes as a "strong lock" for the party. "If people don't like what's been done, they can say no to it," he says.

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Why was Ed Miliband so keen to be interviewed by Russell Brand but not by me, asks Andrew Neil.

"Well I don't know... I love being interviewed by you, it's one of the things I look forward to most of all," Mr Leslie replies, before adding:

Quote Message: But Russell Brand is somebody who has been saying that people shouldn't vote and I think it was important to address those disaffected who say nothing can be changed." from Chris Leslie Labour shadow minister

But Russell Brand is somebody who has been saying that people shouldn't vote and I think it was important to address those disaffected who say nothing can be changed."

Labour's Chris Leslie is being pushed on whether there'll be vote by vote agreements with the SNP. "No deals with the SNP, that's it, full stop," he replies.

It's inevitable you'll have to work with them though? "No," he replies. "Every government tables propositions, there is then a debate about those propositions."

Do you rule out any contact pre-Queen's Speech? Mr Leslie, shadow Treasury chief secretary, answers: "There's going to be no bartering away of Queen's Speech contents with the SNP. It's going to be Labour's manifesto in Labour's Queen's Speech... you don't need to speak to the other parties."

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Green party leader Natalie Bennett tells Murnaghan that she wouldn't want the royal baby to "grow up in a caravan", but that Greens do want the monarchy reformed. "We believe that the hereditary principle should have no place in our constitution," she says. The Greens want to keep the ceremonial aspects of the monarchy, but remove the constitutional aspects, she says. "It's past time that we really started again and redrew our constitution for the 21st century," she adds.

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Phew, another one, this time it's Labour's Chris Leslie. He's asked about the Ed Miliband pledge stone. He says Labour will pay for it to go into the back garden of No. 10.

Quote Message: The Labour Party is making sure that it's not just the words of politicians, but a physical manifestation of the pledges that we've made."

The Labour Party is making sure that it's not just the words of politicians, but a physical manifestation of the pledges that we've made."

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John Swinney, deputy first minister and SNP politician, is the next Sunday Politics guest.

Does Ed Miliband have to consult with Nicola Sturgeon before he produces a Queen's Speech, Andrew Neil asks him.

"Yes there will have to be a need for there to be discussions between the SNP and the Labour Party about what arrangements will take place."

But what if he doesn't talk to you? "I think that would be Ed Miliband getting the next parliamentary term off on the wrong foot. You have to get off on the right footing, working with other parties..."

Even if he doesn't talk to you, you won't block it though will you? John Swinney says the SNP has been clear it would vote to block a Conservative government.

If Labour continued with its current plans for deficit reduction would you vote for that? John Swinney replies: "The Labour Party would have to come to an agreement with us to enlist our support to ensure that we had an end to austerity."

Prince Charles is due to visit Northern Ireland later in this month. Martin McGuinness of Sinn Fein, a former member of the IRA, tells Sky's Murnaghan he would consider meeting Prince Charles. "If there is any offer made.. we will absolutely consider it," he says.

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Asked on Murnaghan why Sinn Fein MPs decline to vote in Westminster, Martin McGuinness of Sinn Fein says: "Obviously we are an Irish republican party... We're not prepare to bestow any form of legitimacy on the British government's right to rule in this part of the republic."

Onto some other topics.

Will you cut disability benefit? William Hague says protecting disabled people is one of the key principles the Conservatives have set out for the next Parliament. That's basically as far as he'll go.

What about Trident? Would you back a Labour government on the subject of renewing it? "The Conservative Party will always support the maintenance and renewal of our nuclear deterrent." says Mr Hague.

And tuition fees, have you ruled out raising them? "We haven't ruled that out", says Mr Hague, but "scare stories" about what might happen to tuition fees are just that.

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William Hague is now on the Sunday Politics. He's asked whether there'll be any cuts to child benefit.

"On that, we've set out policies for two years, to freeze working age benefits including child benefit, for two years," he replies.

So all third children will continue to get child benefit? "It will stay as it is now," Mr Hague replies.

So no means testing? "Stay as it is now."

But what about after 2017? "What we've said is for two years," he replies. After that, the Conservatives "have set out their principles", and he adds: "I can't speculate beyond that."

On an in-out EU referendum, Nigel Farage tells Murnaghan that UKIP would hold the Conservatives' "feet to the fire". UKIP would also push for a referendum in 2015, instead of allowing the Conservatives to wait a couple of years before calling one. He says this is "a red line" for UKIP.

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The Guardian's Nicholas Watt says Ed Miliband has performed way above expectations "he's consistent and he speaks with conviction from the heart" - but Frank Luntz disagrees. He says, clearly critically, that Mr Miliband has "stolen language from Barack Obama, word for word".

Nicholas Watt hits back

Quote Message: I have known Ed Miliband for nearly 20 years. The language he uses now is the language he used then. The thinking may be wrong but it's what he thinks and it's from the heart." from Nick Watt Guardian journalist

I have known Ed Miliband for nearly 20 years. The language he uses now is the language he used then. The thinking may be wrong but it's what he thinks and it's from the heart."

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If UKIP leader Nigel Farage doesn't win his seat at the election, he reiterates his intention to stand down "in ten minutes". He adds, on Murnaghan on Sky News: "It could be over for Mr Clegg, Miliband may be gone, Natalie Bennett may be gone, we all may be gone."

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Frank Luntz, US election expert, says he's surprised that anyone is still doing national polling in the UK - "the national numbers don't matter", and instead the focus should only be on the 30 or so marginals. On the broader campaign, he says he thinks Ed Milband has "actually gotten better over the last six months, his presentation is better, the way he speaks is better". On David Cameron, it's only in the last 10 days that he has shown the sort of performance that we saw in the run-up to the 2010 election, Mr Luntz adds.

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Tom Brake, from the Lib Dems - pictured above with Nick Clegg - says his party have stopped at four red lines. We're not sure if actually there might have been more than that, but anyway...

Andrea Leadsom, Conservative Treasury minister, says Britain has to live within its means and you only get strong public services if you can afford to pay for them. She goes on:

Quote Message: The thing I really object to is the SNP saying 'let's borrow more, let's end austerity'... it's a nonsense argument. You have to stop borrowing... it's like peddling motherhood and apple pie... it's totally unrealistic." from Andrea Leadsom

The thing I really object to is the SNP saying 'let's borrow more, let's end austerity'... it's a nonsense argument. You have to stop borrowing... it's like peddling motherhood and apple pie... it's totally unrealistic."

The SNP wouldn't seek to have another Scottish referendum if the party gains a lot of influence in Westminster after the election, Nicola Sturgeon tells Murnaghan on Sky News. "Even if the SNP was to win every single seat on Scotland on Thursday, we wouldn't take that as a mandate for a referendum," she says.

Stewart Maxwell, from the SNP, is now speaking to John Pienaar. He insists that even if the SNP won all 59 seats in Scotland that wouldn't be a mandate for a second independence referendum. Does all this talk of the SNP threat also threaten the union? Mr Maxwell says politicians at Westminster have been using "apocalyptic language" about the SNP and many ordinary people feel it is "anti-Scottish", not just anti-SNP.

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Ed Miliband has "appalled" some voters in Scotland by ruling out a deal with the SNP after the election, because that opens the door for a Conservative government, Scottish first minister and leader of the SNP Nicola Sturgeon tells Murnaghan on Sky News.

Challenged on who the Conservatives would join with to form a government, if necessary, William Hague tells Murnaghan on Sky: "We're out for a majority, we think anything else is dangerous for the UK... The alternative, in any combination... is a chaotic situation."

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Why aren't the Conservatives leading in the polls, Conservative leader of the House of Commons William Hague is asked on Sky's Murnaghan. "That's partly for the pollsters to answer," he said. "We will see, of course. There are a lot of people who haven't made up their minds yet... When you are in government, people hold every grievance against the government of the day."

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The Guardian's Owen Jones says there are suggestions David Cameron will try to call Ed Miliband's bluff and question the democratic legitimacy of a Labour Queen's Speech backed by SNP votes. It's dangerous for our democracy and for the union, he argues.

The shadow business secretary says you can't extrapolate from the polls to the results, but the key test of legitimacy is whether a government can sustain a majority in the House of Commons. "David Cameron is playing fast and loose with the unity of the United Kingdom," he adds.

This isn't a good enough answer for the Times' Tim Montgomeries. "Of course, you would talk to the SNP, give people some honesty," he pleads.

"We will never be able to say enough about this," says Mr Umunna. "And you know what really cheeses people off - commentators trying to call this match before it's been played."

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Labour can get an outright majority, deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman tells Murnaghan on Sky News, so may not have to rely on the SNP to form a government. On whether it would have any kind of deal with the SNP, she says: "The formal deal we are having is not with any political party... it's with the British people."

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Straight after George Osborne comes Labour's shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna. He outlines his party's key theme of the day - a warning that the Tories will put up tuition fees to £11,500 a year.

"That's your warning of the morning," rhymes John Pienaar, but what about the Tory warning over the SNP. Chuka Umunna repeats the "no coalition, no deal" line, but he's pressed on whether Labour will rely on SNP support even without a deal. "Who do the SNP think they are?" Mr Umunna says with a laugh. He doesn't say no though.

"We will put forward a Labour Queen's Speech and what other parties choose to do is their own affair," he adds.

Now the question of the £12bn of cuts to welfare and where they're coming from. John Pienaar asks the chancellor, does it affect you to be thought of as somewhat "flinty-hearted"?

Quote Message: Actually I meet lots of people who say, of course, we should look after the vulnerable but what about the taxpayer?" from George Osborne Shadow chancellor

Actually I meet lots of people who say, of course, we should look after the vulnerable but what about the taxpayer?"

Mr Osborne says there should be a pressure group for the hard-working taxpayer because that's who he's fighting for. He says the government has created millions of jobs and "that is progressive politics".

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George Osborne doesn't accept that he and David Cameron are only just getting passionate now, but says "of course, the urgency increases" when we get this close to polling day. But he says the fight to keep Labour out of office definitely "fires us up".

The chancellor laughs when it's suggested to him he's too much of an English gentleman to get worked up about winning.

Quote Message: What you want is someone who has an even temperament but who cares deeply about his country"

What you want is someone who has an even temperament but who cares deeply about his country"

Most independent experts say it's impossible for Labour to get an overall majority so for Ed Miliband to become prime minister, he'll have to rely on the SNP, says George Osborne. He says this matters because Britain must "stay on the track to recovery".

The Tories have made much of the SNP's threat to the renewal of the Trident nuclear weapons system. But unless the Tories voted to scrap it, a Labour government would easily see that renewal happen. Would you ever vote against renewing it, George Osborne is asked? "I'm trying to make sure we don't get to that point..." He says you would have "firm answers" with a Conservative majority and there would be no need for these questions.

Right, switching focus to Pienaar's Politics, and the first big hitter is Chancellor George Osborne. He says voters choosing the SNP rather than Labour aren't doing so because they're "listening to the Conservatives".

But you must be enjoying watching Labour struggling in Scotland? "No, not at all," Mr Osborne insists, "I want people to vote for the Scottish Conservatives. This is not about enjoying anything, this is about the future of our country."

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Now a scrap between Yvette Cooper and Nick Clegg over tuition fees. Will you rule out a further rise, says Ms Cooper? At the same time, Mr Clegg talks over her, will you guarantee early years education funding? No-one agrees to rule out or guarantee anything...

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Now all three of them are on the sofa - "I wouldn't do a deal with him," says Nick Clegg, "him" being Nigel Farage. Then he adds: "You also want to take away Strictly Come Dancing, that's far more important than an EU referendum."

On the thorny question of legitimacy, the biggest party gets the first go, Mr Clegg says, and argues that the British people "won't understand" if that doesn't happen. There's a chronology to all of this that really matters, he adds.

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It's put to Nick Clegg that far from being over a barrel on tuition fees, he actually just changed his position. "That's complete rubbish... we were between a rock and a hard place," the Lib Dem leader insists. He says he had "to deal with the reality" which was that there was no money left. He says they provided the fairest possible deal they could to students in the circumstances.

Onto the Scottish problem, as Andrew Marr calls it. Nick Clegg says "the tectonic plates are shifting massively" and there needs to be a constitutional commission to look at the entire issue. The key thing he believes is stability, because "a lot of people are getting rather worried". More devolution to the nations and region is vital, "to release the clammy grip of Whitehall on the governance of the country," he adds.

Moving on now to the latest Lib Dem red line - an increase in public sector pay. "We've asked a lot of the millions of social workers, teachers, nurses and the 5.5 million people who work in our public services," Mr Clegg replies, and it's time to reward that.

Andrew Marr keeps on trying. Nick Clegg says his party has always been consistent about having a referendum in the right circumstances, the Conservatives have been anything but. "I can't answer a question about how I think the're going to buckle again," the Lib Dem leader insists. How compatible or incompatible his red lines and someone else's red lines are depend on the mandate given by the British people, Mr Clegg adds.

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If David Cameron looks you in the eye on Friday and says, are you going to let me have my referendum or not, what do you say? "You're asking the question the wrong way round... you're putting it back to front" Mr Clegg says, smiling just a bit.

"Before I address anyone else's red lines, I will address mine," he goes on. "

Nick Clegg is sticking to the line he's used until now - deflecting this question by accusing the Conservatives of "flipping and flopping" on what they want in terms of a referendum. But David Cameron has given a cast iron guarantee there'll be one if he's PM, says Andrew Marr. "It's about as cast iron as what he said about the Libson Treaty," says Mr Clegg - a referendum on that, of course, didn't happen.

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Right now, Nick Clegg, and first up, that EU referendum. Is that a red line for you? "My view remains that what David and Cameron and I did together in 2011... agreeing a referendum in the event of major treaty change - is the right way to go," the Lib Dem leader says.

Nigel Farage reiterates his fears that David Cameron wont give the "full, free and fair referendum" UKIP want on EU membership. He agrees the conditions of that referendum will be a red line for his party giving any support to a Conservative government.

What about a coalition involving the Lib Dems? Mr Farage says that if Nick Clegg wants to be deputy prime minister again he'll change his mind and accept an in-out referendum.

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Nigel Farage isn't happy with the questioning on gay rights - he says the media only want to focus on "tiddly bits" of the UKIP manifesto and not huge issues like the economy and Europe. On the latter, Mr Farage says his party would have "friendship, free trade co-operation" with Europe - something like what my parents thought they were voting for when we joined the EU.

Are you a Christian? Yes, I haven't always approved of its recent leadership, but yes, Mr Farage says. On the subject of gay marriage, the UKIP leader says there are plenty of LGBT UKIP supporters and candidates and gay people deserve their rights - but so too do Christian and Muslim people, and they have the right to say they don't approve of "certain lifestyles".

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On the future of the BBC, the UKIP leader says it's "far too big and far too influential". "I don't think it needs to do entertainment," for example, he argues. He says the BBC local websites are threatening local newspapers and says the corporation is "beginning to obliterate other voices". He also thinks the BBC has been unfair to UKIP during this campaign.

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Nigel Farage isn't keen to be labelled "a nascent English nationalist". He argues instead: "We are the only party represented in all four corners of the United Kingdom."

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"If only we could debate the big issues, rather than who's going to get into bed with whom on Friday morning," laments Nigel Farage. He argues that first-past-the-post is "now bankrupt" and thinks a vote for UKIP is a vote for electoral change - and that change will come.

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Now it's Nigel Farage's turn. David Cameron has said your;e not going to get any seats. "I know," Mr Farage, says, "It's desperate Dave." He says most UKIP voters are not lapsed Conservatives as Mr Cameron says, many come from Labour and many are those who normally wouldn't vote.

Yvette Cooper is asked how it feels feels having her husband [Ed Balls] held up as the poster boy for what the Tories say is Labour's record of economic failure?

"Ed has been at the forefront of saying the deficit has got to come down. The Tories approach has failed."

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Let's talk about cuts, says Andrew Marr. What will they be? Yvette Cooper says they wouldn't have cuts of the "depth" of the Conservatives, but Labour has identified £800 million of savings from the Home Office budget. That allows frontline services to be protected - it'll come from things like encouraging police forces to work together more, Ms Cooper adds.

She is asked: If you're putting an important piece of legislation forward do you do it without knowing in advance how the SNP would vote? That's an issue for all governments, she says, knowing what the opposition is thinking.

Andrew Marr tries again - Would you have conversations though?

"You're still trying to pre-empt an election that hasn't happened, trying to play games with the things Ed has been talking about," Ms Cooper says.

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"We cannot do coalitions, deals or pacts with the SNP." Yvette Cooper says. But what about conversations with them? "It would be up to other parties how they vote on a Labour programme. It's for them to decide. We're not going to have deals and pacts about what's going to be in a Labour Queen's Speech."

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Can you look me in the eye and say you're going to win those 100 seats, Andrew Marr asks. She replies: "The public will decide on Thursday."

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Now up shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper. You'd have to win more than a hundred seats in England to make up for your losses in Scotland if the polls are right? "We're working for a majority," she says, and we're getting "a very warm reception on the doorstep". We're fighting for every vote, including in Scotland, she insists.

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It seems like all the millions spent on strategists and public relations experts have been a waste, because the polls haven't moved, says Matthew Parris, adding: "It renews your faith in human nature." Gaby Hinsliff says "there'll be real questions afterwards about whether it was worth spending that money".

On the subject of Ed Miliband's pledge stone, "what happens if he loses", she asks, "do you just bung it in the garden?"

"He'll have to wear it around his neck for the rest of his life," jokes Matthew Parris.

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The paper reviewers discuss David Cameron's strategy of appearing more "pumped up" - the prime minister's words - in the last week."This is new shouty, fighty Cameron," political commentator Gaby Hinsliff says. Matthew Parris, of the Times, is unimpressed. "I can't bear it... and I think people see through it."

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Now onto politics. Discussing the idea that David Cameron can stay in No. 10 even if there's no outright majority, Gaby Hinsliff says: "It's basically exercising squatters' rights... bluff everyone into assuming you've won". She says that's what Gordon Brown tried to do.

It's not quite like Gordon Brown though, Matthew Parris says, noting that Mr Brown didn't have the most seats "The whole idea of legitimacy will matter," Parris says, and if the Tories get close to 290 seats it really will look like they get first dibs.

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The Andrew Marr Show is under way. So far the paper review, with Matthew Parris, of the Times, and Gaby Hinsliff, political editor of Grazia magazine, is concentrating on the royal baby.

Political commentators on Twitter seem somewhat bemused by Ed Miliband's decision to carve Labour's election promises in an 8ft piece of stone. Here are a few below, but what do you think, good readers? Email us at politics@bbc.co.uk or tweet us @bbcpolitics to let us know.

The UK financial markets could suffer should the election not deliver a decisive result, according to an article in The Guardian . “The worst outcome would be a dead heat,” said Dhaval Joshi, of investment analysts BCA. Labour and the Conservatives are currently neck and neck in the polls.

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Sky News political correspondent Sophy Ridge has spent a day on the campaign trail with Justine Miliband. They talked about the highs and lows of politics, and how she copes with the unrelenting focus on her husband's every step - or stumble.

Quote Message: Both Ed and I have got a good sense a humour and if there's one thing I've learned over the last four years - I think we both have - having a good sense of humour is definitely good for politics."

Both Ed and I have got a good sense a humour and if there's one thing I've learned over the last four years - I think we both have - having a good sense of humour is definitely good for politics."

Sun NationCopyright: Sun Nation

If you like a bit of a chuckle in between reading manifestos and mulling over red lines, the Sun has taken a leaf out of the book of US TV host Jimmy Kimmel and persuaded Nick Clegg to read out some of the mean things written about him on Twitter.

With polling day looming the Sunday papers have made clear their political allegiances. There aren't many surprises. The Sunday Express's editorial comes out in favour of UKIP, saying Nigel Farage is the only leader really listening to the British people.

The Sunday Telegraph has a plea on behalf of the Conservatives, describing David Cameron as "a reasonable and compassionate man" who should be allowed to "get on with the job". The Sunday Times also backs the Tories - its sister the Times has swung both ways politically over the years.

The Observer and Sunday People's editorials both back Labour. The former says Ed Miliband "has a far more sophisticated vision of economic and social justice" than his prime ministerial rival.

Finally, the Independent on Sunday says its readers should make up their own minds.

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David Cameron says he'd pass a law to convince us his election promises are genuine - and Ed Miliband has literally had his set in stone. 8ft high stone no less. Today, the Labour leader is focusing on tuition fees - specifically his plan to reduce them from a maximum of £9,000 to £6,000 - and tying Nick Clegg's infamous U-turn with David Cameron's failure to achieve his "no ifs, not buts" promise to cut immigration.

Quote Message: Nick Clegg and David Cameron have helped erode trust in all political leaders by the way they broke promises on issues like tuition fees and immigration after the last election. If I am prime minister I will keep our stone in a place where we can see it every day as a reminder of our duty to keep Labour's promises." from Ed Miliband

Nick Clegg and David Cameron have helped erode trust in all political leaders by the way they broke promises on issues like tuition fees and immigration after the last election. If I am prime minister I will keep our stone in a place where we can see it every day as a reminder of our duty to keep Labour's promises."

The parties appear to be in stalemate in the polls, Professor John Tonge, from the University of Liverpool, tells Radio 5 live. "With just over 96 hours until the polls open, what is going to change? The parties are neck and neck, they've cancelled each other out on the biggest two issues of the election - the economy... [and] the NHS..." This isn't down to the quality of the campaigning, though, which has improved in the run-up to the election, he says.

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We know you like to plan your Sunday, so before you dash out to the park or the pub, like Nigel here, let us fill you in on what's coming up politics-wise.

On the Andrew Marr Show, at 9am on BBC1, we're expecting Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg, UKIP leader Nigel Farage and Labour shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper.

Next, on Pienaar's Politics on BBC Radio 5 live at 10am, there's an economy theme to things with Chancellor George Osborne, shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna and Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander.

On the Sunday Politics - BBC2 at 11am - the guests will be William Hague, SNP MSP and deputy first minister John Swinney and US political expert Frank Luntz.

Finally, Ed Balls will be appearing on The World This Weekend on Radio 4 at 1pm.

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The Lib Dems' red line on public sector pay is the fifth in a week, BBC politics correspondent Ellie Price tells BBC Breakfast. "Probably the most difficult [red line] to square off with other parties, particularly the Conservatives," she says. "Of course the Lib Dems got their fingers burnt last last time round when they said that they would scrap tuition fees, and they ended up voting to increase them."

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Looking at the last 20 published polls of the campaign, they suggest to me that any recent Conservative increase in support has stalled in the past few days; Labour slogs on at around 34%; the Lib Dems at about 9% and the Greens around 5%. Once again UKIP is the most intriguing part of the 2015 electoral equation: the fortunes of other parties rest so heavily on their performance. My reading of the latest polls suggests to me that their support is holding up rather than disintegrating.

As a child I remember a seaside booth where a Madame Osiris offered to reveal all the secrets of the universe for just £5. I must confess that I am not in her league. I have never been more uncertain about the outcome of a general election in my life. Before the explosion of the SNP in Scotland I would have gambled that Labour were most likely to emerge as the largest party in a hung parliament: Scotland wrecks that and makes the possibility of the Conservatives ending up with most seats very plausible. What makes this a really difficult election to call is that the small number of seats that will determine who is ahead in an election that nobody wins could well be decided by organisational slugfests in a handful of parliamentary seats.

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As you'd expect, there's acres of royal baby coverage this morning in the papers, but there are also some politics stories too. The Independent is leading with pitches to the electorate from Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg, and David Cameron - with Nick Clegg saying he wouldn't go into a Conservative coalition "against the collective will" of his party. The Sunday Times has an article about Labour's warning on tuition fees. The Sunday Telegraph is saying that the UK faces "weeks of political chaos" following the election, and The Observer says Britain faces "political paralysis".

The home stretch at last but one littered with unknowns. Is there a late rally to the Conservatives? Possibly, but like so much else in this campaign, it seems far from clear. Will Labour out-perform the national polls by performing more strongly in key marginal seats? There is some supporting evidence for this but it is hardly overwhelming. How to reconcile the Lib Dems holding many of their seats when support for them in the national polls has collapsed? Will UKIP’s support dissolve on 7 May and produce a hidden army that delivers victory to the Conservatives? Will the polls overstate Labour’s support this time, unlike 2010 when they understated it? Will Scotland return any other than SNP MPs?

We would not be in our present confusion about the outcome of the general election if the three main Westminster parties were popular. All our problems in trying to predict the outcome of 7 May stem from the fact that they are manifestly unpopular. This general election is the mother of all ugly baby contests between the Conservatives, Labour and the Lib Dems. And yet, for all the public antipathy towards mainstream Westminster parties, no other parties under our current first past the post system, are going to form a government, minority or otherwise. So, back to the grindstone.

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The Lib Dem promise on public sector pay is the latest in a series of red lines - in plain English, conditions - that Nick Clegg has been placing on any coalition deal involving his party. For their part, the Conservatives say they plan to continue "restraining" public sector pay, while Labour's manifesto says any decisions in the next Parliament must "prioritise those on lower incomes", be evidence based, and respect pay review body recommendations.

The other Lib Dem red lines announced so far are:

- guarantees on education spending

- a £12,500 personal income tax allowance

- £8bn extra a year for the NHS

- an emergency "stability budget"

Well, there are fours days left until the election. It's Victoria King and Tom Espiner here for Politics Live. Labour will today restate their pledge to cut tuition fees to £6,000 and they claim that the scale of Conservative cuts means they will have to raise them to £11,500. And the Lib Dems have drawn yet another coalition red line - this one on public sector pay .