Miliband: Conservative campaign descending to desperation and panic

Scottish Labour Leader Jim Murphy, Labour Leader Ed Miliband and Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls hold a joint press conference in Edinburgh

Ed Miliband has claimed the Conservative general election campaign is descending into “desperation and panic”, after David Cameron unveiled plans to freeze commuter rail fares in real terms and offer workers three paid days off for volunteering.

In his first Scottish campaign trip the Labour leader accused the Tories of deploying personal abuse and “unfunded and unbelievable promises”.

Speaking in Edinburgh, he says Nicola Sturgeon’s plan for full fiscal autonomy for Scotland would leave a £7.6bn gap in the public finances north of the border. He is also attacking austerity, a topic he avoids in Westminster in the face of Conservative accusations of reckless spending plans.

His comments came as a clutch of polls suggested the opposition was taking a slight advantage from the first 10 days of campaigning and that Mr Miliband’s own personal rating was on the up.