Health and crime top poll battle

The Lib Dems say they will cut "hidden" waiting lists for scans

Health is the focus of Labour and Lib Dem election campaigning as the Conservatives target "binge drinking".

Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy has launched an attack on the "hidden" waiting lists for diagnosis in the NHS.

Tony Blair countered with measures to improve children's health and dismissed polls suggesting a Labour landslide.

Michael Howard has focused on tackling "yob culture". He also warned vigilance was needed to ensure immigration fears did not harm race relations.

In ITV1's Ask the Leaders debate on Monday Mr Howard rejected suggestions from the audience that he was pandering to xenophobia.

He also pointed to lessons from the 2001 Bradford and Burnley race riots.

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Health issues

On Tuesday, he denied newspaper reports suggesting some senior Tories have told their leader they are worried by his rhetoric on immigration.

The Lib Dems accused Mr Howard of trying to shore up the "core" Tory vote.

The NHS was in the campaign spotlight on Monday and Labour wants to keep attention on an issue it sees as one of its strengths.

Jamie Oliver

Labour has trumpeted plans to promote health for the nation's young people, including improving school meals in the wake of Jamie Oliver's TV campaign.

Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell said Labour would take competitive sport to a new level, with inter-school leagues in all main sports.

Mr Blair used the news conference in Birmingham to renew an attack on the Tory policy of allowing patients to use half the NHS cost of an operation to be treated privately.

There would be a new website for school sports results, says Labour

The Conservative leader has demanded Mr Blair withdraw all election material spreading the "lie" that the plan amounts to introducing charges to the NHS.

Mr Blair rejected the demand, saying: "Michael Howard has made his policy bed, now he has to lie in it."

Despite Labour's health claims, the Lib Dems published research which they say shows about 500,000 people are stuck on "hidden" waiting lists for essential scans.

'Nightmare'

Mr Kennedy said government policy of setting targets for the time taken from diagnosis to treatment - but not measuring the wait for an initial scan - was "totally unacceptable".

The Lib Dems promised an extra £350m to help those patients "waiting up to six months" for routine scans to diagnose tumours or heart conditions.

It's time to give the yobs a dose of the fear they have been dishing out to the rest of us Michael Howard Fact check: Policing and crime

Mr Howard complained of the "nightmare" caused by binge drinking in his morning news conference.

"It's time to give the yobs a dose of the fear they have been dishing out to the rest of us," he said.

The Tory five-point plan include curbing "all you can drink" promotions, giving councils new powers to block licence applications in late-night trouble spots and employing more police.

The Green Party is unveiling its animal welfare policy on Tuesday, including plans to ban fur imports and animal testing.

Poll lead?

An NOP poll for the Independent newspaper puts Labour on 37%, five points ahead of the Tories but down one point since the previous week.

The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats remained unchanged on 32% and 21% respectively.

A Populus poll for the Times puts Labour on 40%, up three points from 5 April, with the Tories four points down on 31% and the Lib Dems slightly up on 21%.

A Mori poll for the Financial Times puts Labour on 40%, with the Conservatives on 32% and Lib Dems on 21%.

The poll - the only one which had previously given the Conservatives a lead - this time indicated the party's support had dropped by 7%.

Ahead of the 5 May election, nominations for the country's 646 seats will close at 1600 BST on Tuesday.

Lists of candidates are expected to be published about an hour later.