David Cameron renews pledge to older voters

The prime minister has repeated his promise to do right by older voters, saying on Twitter that those who have worked hard and paid their taxes “should be rewarded, not punished”.

Miliband: No special deals for SNP

Ed Miliband is expected to say today that Scotland would get no “special deals” from Labour if it forms the next government – denying Tory claims that a minority Labour administration would be forced to do deals with the nationalists.

“It is a distraction, offered in the final desperate days of the Tory campaign to divert your attention from the truth of their own record,” he will say on a campaign visit to Hastings.

“Under a Labour government, there won’t be any special deals for Scotland.”

Senior Labour figure casts doubt on Miliband’s plan for ‘no SNP deals’

Former Scottish first minister Henry McLeish has said Labour leader Ed Miliband could not afford to rule out the chance of becoming prime minister by refusing to talk to the SNP.

Mr Miliband is today expected to rule out any “special deals” with the SNP if Labour were to form a minority government.

“At the end of the day, Ed is not going to exclude himself from being prime minister by not talking to anyone,” Mr McLeish told the BBC.

“I can’t bind Ed to anything but… the pragmatic political side will say ‘I’m going for a majority, all this talk of speaking to anyone is out of the question’.

“On the other hand, the politics of reality say I would rather see Ed Miliband in Number 10, no matter the conditions.”

Old hands to the pump on busy final weekend

On the last Saturday before the 7 May election, former prime minister Gordon Brown is expected to join up with Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy as they attempt to bolster support for their party.

Meanwhile Charles Kennedy, the former Liberal Democrat leader, will team up with Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander and Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie for a tour of the Highlands.

The Liberal Democrats face losing seats in the region to the SNP, and the three party leaders plan a tour in an open topped classic car, telling voters it is vital to keep “Liberal values at the heart of government”.

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson will also campaign in a number of constituencies.

“What Scotland needs now more than ever are Scottish Conservative MPs who will stand up to the SNP and back our United Kingdom come what may,” she said.

Nick Clegg’s ‘hugely ambitious’ plan to slash youth unemployment

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg is campaigning in Yorkshire today, where he will set out plans for a new taskforce aimed at tackling youth unemployment within 100 days of a new government being formed.

Mr Clegg will say he wants to cut youth unemployment to its lowest level since records began more than 30 years ago.

“It is hugely ambitious but it is absolutely achievable,” he will say.

And on the topic of the younger electorate, a few hours ago Mr Clegg posted his witty reaction to a bizarre incident when a student’s trousers fell down during a campaign trip:

Farage: I was wrong about Miliband

Ukip leader Nigel Farage has said the one thing he got wrong in the election campaign was thinking Ed Miliband would move towards offering a referendum on EU membership.

Mr Farage said he believed Labour would try to box the issue off, but said the fact the party hadn’t done so meant that any deal between Ukip and Labour has become unimaginable.

“From a Ukip voter’s perspective it’s completely impossible to do a deal with a man that won’t give a referendum,” Mr Farage said.

On a campaign visit in Ramsgate, Kent, Mr Farage also criticised David Cameron for changing his stance over the years.

He said: “So he [Cameron] is committed to a referendum, although I don’t like the timeframe and I’m not very convinced about the terms of the referendum.

“So there is a possibility that if we could get a referendum we could have a conversation with them.”