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Miliband dismisses Conservative spending claims

Ed Miliband has strongly denied Conservative claims that Labour has made £20.7 billion in "unfunded" spending commitments.

The Conservatives today published an 82-page document outlining what the party claims is a cost analysis of Labour's planned spending in the first year of office.

The parties have kicked into full election mode with Miliband launching a "street by street" election campaign, Nick Clegg distancing himself from the coalition and branding Tory deficit plans "a con" and David Cameron claiming his is the only party who can save the economy.

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Clegg outlines Lib Dems' NHS funding plan

A black hole in NHS funding would be filled by ploughing the proceeds of future economic growth into public services, under Liberal Democrat plans.

Nick Clegg said his was the only party able to show how it would meet "in full" the increase of £8 billion a year by 2019/20 NHS chief executive Simon Stevens says is required.

Nick Clegg said Lib Dem plans would fill the NHS funding gap 'in full'. Credit: John Stillwell/PA Wire

Under the plan, the additional £2 billion announced by Chancellor George Osborne for 2015/16 in the Autumn Statement would be repeated every year of the next parliament.

Another £1 billion a year from 2016/17 would come from a pension tax relief and dividend tax squeeze on high earners, and ending the Conservative "shares for rights" policy - a move agreed at the party's conference.

The bulk of the boost would come, however, from the Lib Dems' pledge to increase public spending in line with the growth of the economy after eliminating the structural deficit in 2017/18.

But Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham accused Mr Clegg of "empty promises" and said the public wold "not believe a word of this unfunded policy".

Read: Clegg dismisses 'threat' from Miliband to boot him out

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Miliband dismisses Conservative spending claims

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