Miriam Gonzalez Durantez makes a rare appearance on the campaign trail with her husband, the Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg
DAY IN A NUTSHELL
The Conservatives announce plans to give four million married couples and civil partners a £150 annual tax break - and they come under scrutiny. The Lib Dems attacked the policy as "Edwardian", while Labour says it is "deeply unfair". Ministers are revealing snippets of the Labour manifesto, including a law to restrict some takeovers of British firms. Meanwhile, Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg's wife joins him on the campaign trail for the first time.
See how Saturday unfolded here.
SATURDAY'S QUOTES OF THE DAY
"Sometimes I'll get back from meeting President Sarkozy, or someone, and Sam will say 'Yeah yeah, that's all very well, but it's your turn to cook dinner and put the kids to bed'.'' David Cameron on his "not flashy" wife. "A hung Parliament would be good for us." Independent MP Clare Short on the failures of the current Parliament. "People are pretty cruel sometimes. It does affect you when people say, 'Oh, this guy's got a ... weird smile'. But I don't get hurt any more."PM Gordon Brown is hardened to his tormentors. "The proposals from the Conservatives for tax breaks for marriage are patronising drivel that belong in the Edwardian age." Nick Clegg decides not to mince his words. "The days of 14 pints are long behind me."Shadow foreign secretary William Hague opts for a Burger King instead.
THE VIEW FROM ABROAD
The
New York Times
has not been exactly flattering to Gordon Brown, describing the prime minister as "a man who can seem dour, distracted and dysfunctional". The paper claims his wife is trailing around the country with him to function as his "designated humaniser".
SATURDAY'S NEWSPAPER HEADLINES
The Guardian leads with
an extraordinary broadside by Lib Dem deputy leader Vince Cable
who says it is "utterly nauseating" for well-paid businessmen to be trying to dictate tax policy after they threw their weight behind the Conservatives. On the same theme, The Independent says
there is a growing backlash
about the intervention of big business in the election campaign. The Times says
the Tories hope their marriage tax plan
will "seal the deal with the electorate". The party's proposed tax breaks will be paid by a £1bn levy on bank transactions,
The Financial Times
reports on its front page. The paper believes the Tories will go ahead with the levy irrespective of whether other countries decide to do the same. Finally,
The Daily Mail
reports that two councillors in Peterborough have implored the party leaders to take action on migration, arguing that schools, hospitals and police in the town are over-stretched and councils cannot fund services.
SATURDAY'S CAMPAIGN CATCH-UP
The
Conservatives reveal details of their much-touted plans to recognise marriage
within the tax system. Labour pledge
to restrict takeovers of British firms,
in cases of public interest, and to
stop rail firms mis-selling more expensive tickets
to passengers. Lib Dem Treasury spokesman Vince Cable
hits out at business leaders who have criticised the planned National Insurance
rise, describing their actions as "utterly nauseous". Janis Sharp, the
mother of computer hacker Gary McKinnon, challenges Justice Secretary Jack Straw
for his Blackburn seat. Campaigning gathered pace in Scotland, where
SNP leader Alex Salmond visited a petrol station in Aberdeenshire
to highlight the rising price of fuel. Gordon Brown was on the streets in his home constituency of Kirkcaldy, Fife.
Nick Clegg made a first public appearance with his wife, Miriam Gonzalez Durantez,
as they toured a farm in his Sheffield Hallam constituency.
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