Main UK parties prepare to launch manifestos

The main political parties were yesterday putting the finishing touches to their general election manifestos as they prepared for the first week of full-scale campaigning for the May 6 poll.

Labour will be first off the blocks with the launch in the West Midlands tomorrow of a manifesto which aides said will be "ambitious but affordable" and will focus on rebuilding the economy, renewing public services and restoring trust in politics.

The document's author Ed Miliband yesterday acknowledged that Labour cannot "promise the earth" in Britain's current straitened circumstances, but said the party would reject a "business-as-usual" approach to the country's problems.

Speaking in east London he said: "Above all it is a manifesto for the future because we know that business as usual won't do.

"Business as usual won't do in relation to our economy, business as usual won't do in relation to our public services, and business as usual won't do in relation to our politics either."

Meanwhile, David Cameron said the Conservative platform - to be unveiled tomorrow - would be centred on the theme of "we're all in this together".

In contrast to Labour's restrained programme, the Tory manifesto will offer a range of "positive agenda-setting ideas" to woo voters, including better access to GPs and a crackdown on state "snooping", he said.

Speaking after joining cricket legend Sir Ian Botham on a four-mile sponsored walk for charity in Sutton Coldfield, Mr Cameron said he wanted to see a "great national coming together" to solve Britain's problems.

He said: "I think there's a contrast in this campaign, frankly: no new ideas from Labour, a very negative camp-aign all about attacks and trying to scare people, and very positive agenda-setting ideas from the Conservatives."

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg warned of Greek-style social unrest in the wake of the election if a Conservative government wins power by a narrow margin and then tries to push through draconian spending cuts.

The Liberal Democrat leader said he feared "serious social strife" if an administration with minimal support raised taxes, laid off public sector workers and froze wages.

"Imagine the Conservatives go home and get an absolute majority, on 25 per cent of the eligible vote," he told The Observer. "They then turn around in the next week or two and say we're going to chuck up VAT to twenty per cent, we're going to start cutting teachers, cutting police and the wage bill in the public sector.