Ed Balls: Tory cuts 'will take Britain back to 17th Century'

A large majority of voters would not want a coalition government involving the SNP, according to the latest poll from Tory peer Lord Ashcroft.

Some 61% of those polled said they would be unhappy at the prospect compared to 31% who said they would welcome a coalition involving the Scottish nationalists.

The poll also found 57% of voters to be against UKIP taking part in government in comparison to 36% who would be happy for them to participate.

The telephone poll of 1,003 adults gave Conservatives a four-point lead over Labour, 34% to 30%.

Only the Liberal Democrats can provide the financial stability Britain needs, the party's finance chief has claimed.

Speaking as shadow chancellor, Ed Balls slammed the Tories' budget plans, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander said:

A coalition with the Scottish National Party (SNP) is the "last thing" Labour wants, according to shadow Chancellor Ed Balls.

ITV News' political correspondent Libby Wiener tweeted:

While Mr Balls avoided "categorically" ruling it out, he said the party would not be fighting the election on the basis of forming a coalition.

• Tory poster depicts Miliband in Salmond's pocket

Shadow chancellor Ed Balls has accused the Tories of planning budget cuts which would take Britain "back to the 17th Century".

ITV News' political correspondent Libby Wiener tweeted:

The Opposition analysis indicates Tory plans could mean the equivalent of 260,000 fewer older people receiving social care and the loss of 30,000 police officers.

Mr Balls will claim Labour will offer a "tough, but balanced and fair plan" to improve living standards while getting the deficit down, while the Tories will "cause huge damage to our vital public services".

Ed Balls is to claim austerity measures planned under George Osborne will mean "extreme, risky and unprecedented" cuts to policing and social care.

The shadow chancellor will say that, if the Tories remain in power, the next four years will see deeper cuts than those implemented since 2010. Ahead of next week's Budget, Mr Balls will warn the Chancellor's plans involve spending cuts "larger than any time in post-war history".

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasts indicating a £23 billion surplus in 2019-20 would require a Tory administration to make deep cuts in areas of unprotected spending, Mr Balls will say.