Election 2015, Day 4: Parties fiddling round the edges

FOLLOWING the big seven-leader TV debate, the main parties continued skirmishing on the fringes.

Labour alleged that in excess of 1,000 Sure Start centres were under threat of the axe, should the Conservatives get in.

Chancellor George Osborne, meanwhile, challenged Labour over its commitment to the HS2 rail scheme, alleging shadow chancellor Ed Balls had designs on axing it.

Meanwhile, UKIP leader Nigel Farage appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme saying he wanted  to see fewer than 50,000 people coming into the UK a year, but would refuse to set a cap on net migration.

And the Muslim Council of Britain  urged Muslim voters  to put pressure on candidates over tackling Islamophobia.

The closeness of the main protagonists in the polls so far indicates the election campaign could reach ferocious levels in the run-up to May 7.

A YouGov poll gave Labour a one point lead on 36%, with the Conservatives on 35% and the Lib/Dems lagging on 7%, while UKIP was at 12% and the Greens on 5%.

Labour is 6% higher than it was in 2010,  and the Conservatives have a 2% deficit from its poll rating then.