Campaign kick-off: 22 days to go

Three manifestos down, two more to go. Yesterday, the Conservatives launched their plan for government and promised to be ‘the party of the working people’ while the Green Party promised to end the ‘disastrous policy of austerity’ and increasing government spending by £170 billion a year. Today, Ukip and the Liberal Democrats take their turns to explain what they’d like to do. To help guide you through the melée of stories and spin, here is a summary of today’s main election stories.

1. Believe in more spending

Ukip is returning to Thurrock for the second time this week to launch its 2015 manifesto. Aside from the usual promises we’ve come to expect — leaving the EU, much tougher immigration policies — the new two key pledges appear to be: ramping up defence spending and a ‘low-tax revolution’. First up, in the Telegraph today, Nigel Farage has penned an op-ed explaining why and how Ukip intends to take the Tories’ place as the party of defence.