NHS Battleground: Parties Unveil Rival Plans

David Cameron has pledged to protect the NHS by meeting its funding needs "in full" and Labour is to announce plans to provide an extra 3,000 midwives to guarantee one-to-one maternity care.

While the countdown to the too close-to-call general election continues, the main parties are trying to win over crucial undecided voters for whom the NHS is a key issue.

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The Prime Minister has promised to fund the five-year reform plan put forward by NHS chief executive Simon Stevens by pumping at least an extra £8bn a year into the health service by 2020. 

This will mean that over-75s will be guaranteed same-day access to GPs, patients will be able to see doctors out of regular office hours and the NHS will provide a full range of services seven days a week, according to Mr Cameron.

Video: A&E Waiting Times On The Rise

Mr Stevens predicted in a report in October that, if health spending rose only at the rate of inflation, growing demand for care would leave the NHS in England with a £30bn funding gap by 2020.

He said around £22bn of that could be met through "efficiencies", but the remainder would have to come from government funds.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt told Sky News: "This is a very big moment for the NHS. By the end of the next parliament, we'll have a million more over-70s, and we want to make sure that every one of them is treated with dignity and respect.

"We will need more doctors, more nurses and more healthcare assistants. For people who have worked hard all their lives, we want to make sure they have the security of knowing the NHS is going to be there when they need it.

"Because we will deliver a strong economy, we are able to make this very important financial commitment today."

Up to now only the Liberal Democrats had committed to finding the extra money.

Video: Row Over Tory Record On GPs

Mr Cameron said his track record showed he could be trusted to protect the NHS, with annual spending up £7.3bn in real terms but he did not say where the extra funding needed would come from.

Speaking about his severely disabled son Ivan, who died in 2009, Mr Cameron added: "As someone who's been supported by the NHS at the most difficult time in my life, I'm utterly committed to ensuring it is there for everyone when they need it too.

"That's why I'm backing the NHS's own plan with the cash required to ensure it can continue to deliver an amazing service to patients and their families in the future."

But a Labour Party spokesman said: "The Tories are briefing the same story they've done five times before. There is still no firm commitment, still no idea where the money coming from - and they still can't be trusted on NHS."

And a Lib Dem spokesman said: "The Conservative ideological obsession with cutting the size of the state means they cannot afford this unfunded spending commitment.

"The Liberal Democrats are the only party who has committed to giving the NHS the £8bn it needs and have set out how we will pay for it.

Video: Tories Try To 'Pull Wool Over Eyes'

"Tory spending plans will not help the NHS but rather destroy vital public service and decimate basic entitlements."

Labour will publish a mini-manifesto later including a new right to a dedicated midwife before and after childbirth.

Joining Mr Cameron in seeking to highlight his own personal experience of the NHS, Labour leader Ed Miliband told of the "brilliant care" he and wife Justine received when their sons Samuel and Daniel were born.

Evoking the popular 1950s-set TV programme, he said: "Call The Midwife shouldn't just be a TV programme from the past but part of our NHS future too.

"We need to ensure the NHS can offer every woman the personalised one-to-one care we expect from a modern and thriving health service.

"Our fully-funded plan will provide the extra staff including midwives needed to give them the time to care. Because it is time to care for our NHS."

Video: Miliband Makes NHS His Battleground

Commenting on the Tory pledge, Ukip leader Nigel Farage said: "Mr Cameron's spending plans are unfunded, but he'll know this already.

"He knows he needs to make these promises, because he's planning for an immigration bombshell in to this country over the next five years, and under his plans, our NHS will become an international health service."

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CCTV Shows Gang Plundering Hatton Garden Vault

CCTV footage reportedly showing the men behind the Hatton Garden jewel heist has emerged, after it was revealed the police initially failed to go to the scene despite being alerted by an alarm.

The 17-minute video purportedly shows at least six men arriving at the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit company's building in London's jewellery quarter on Good Friday.

The Daily Mirror, which obtained the footage, reported that the group made two separate visits before leaving in a white van on Easter Sunday with the contents of 72 safety deposit boxes in wheelie bins and bags.

Scotland Yard has declined to comment on the pictures.

It comes as the Metropolitan Police continues to investigate why a call from a security firm about the alarm was graded in a way that meant officers did not consider it worthy of a response.

Video: Given Grade Which Meant No Action

It was not until Tuesday morning that the raid - one of Britain's biggest - was discovered.

The police could face compensation claims running into the millions because officers failed to respond to the alarm, it has also been claimed.

An industry source told the Daily Telegraph insurers could take civil action to recoup losses if they have to pay out to customers.

The Daily Mirror footage is from a camera that centres on a doorway, with an adjacent intercom, at the bottom of a set of stairs that leads to the street.

A number of men appear wearing high-visibility jackets, builder's hats, gloves and dust masks and carrying orange tool boxes and holdalls.

Video: Ex-Detective On Jewel Heist

Others in the group are dressed in blue overalls and gloves.

Three men with their faces covered are seen taking wheelie bins in and out of the building.

A white van is seen pulling up shortly before 7am on Sunday, the newspaper reported, and once the bins and bags are loaded into it, the group get in and drive away.

Police have insisted it is too early to say if the handling of the call about the alert would have had an impact on the outcome.

But the revelations have led to anger from potential victims, who spoke of their shock that the police "just weren't there".

Video: Jewel Heist Drilling Explained

Michael Miller, from Knightsbridge, who may have lost £50,000 in uninsured jewellery, said: "I am just so shocked and disappointed to hear the police didn't answer that alarm.

"I mean before, we thought maybe the police didn't even know about that but now we know that they knew something was wrong.

"This completely changes things, the knowledge that something could have been done.

"The police pride themselves on being somewhere in a couple of minutes, but on this occasion they just weren't there."

A store owner near the scene, who did not wish to be named, said: "It's just shocking that someone didn't answer that call that came in when the alarm went off.

Video: Raid: How Thieves Gained Entry

"You think what on earth isn't a high priority call if it's isn't a safe deposit alarm going off in there.

"I know they're investigating, but really what is the good of that when the damage is done?"

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British Boy, 7, Killed In Alps Ski Tragedy

A seven-year-old British boy has died in a skiing accident in the French Alps, according to reports.

The child, who had been on a family holiday in the resort of Flaine in France's Haute Savoie region, went over a cliff after straying off piste, emergency services told news agency AFP.

He is believed to have taken a wrong turn on Friday after asking his mother if he could make the last descent of the day on his own, AFP reports.

An emergency services spokesman said: "He hit a rocky outcrop, then fell 50 to 100 metres (160ft to 320ft)."

The child had earlier been skiing in a family group.

His desperate mother raised the alarm at 7pm on Friday after the boy did not turn up as expected.

The child's body was found by a rescue helicopter, about two hours after the fall, according to reports in French media.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We can confirm the death of a British national in Flaine, France, on April 10.

"We are providing consular assistance to the family at this difficult time."

An investigation is under way.

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Man Jailed For Murder Of Mum In Front Of Child

A drug dealer who murdered Leighann Duffy in front of a young child has been jailed for a minimum of 26 years and six months.

Lloyd Byfield, 48, pursued a relationship with the 26-year-old before arming himself with a claw hammer and a knife and smashing his way into her flat in Walthamstow, London, last September.

After pleading guilty to murder at the Old Bailey, he was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 26-and-a-half years by Judge Nicholas Cooke - who told him he may never be released.

He told Byfield he must have had a "heart of stone" to have killed Ms Duffy in front of a young girl who was herself attacked when she tried to intervene.

Judge Cooke also expressed his "unhappiness" at the failure of authorities to deport Byfield to his home country of Jamaica after he attacked another woman with a chisel and was jailed for 30 weeks for burglary in 2005.

He said the murder could have been prevented if he had been sent back then.

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Boost For Miliband And Labour In New Polls

Labour is enjoying the lead in three new polls, with one indicating voters believe Ed Miliband is performing better than David Cameron.

A Survation poll for the Daily Mirror has Labour climbing to a four-point lead over the Tories.

It put Labour on 35%, two points up on last week, while the Conservatives were on 31%, dropping by one point.

Panelbase has Labour up four points to 37% and the Tories falling two to 31%, while a TNS Omnibus survey shows Labour up one point to 33% and the Conservatives down three to 30%.

Video: Miliband Hits Back

But ComRes research for ITV and the Daily Mail suggested the race was too close to call, putting the Tories on 34% and Labour on 33%.

However, that compared to a four-point deficit for Labour at the start of the campaign.

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The Survation poll also put Mr Miliband's approval rating higher than the Prime Minister for the first time in Survation's polling history.

The gap between those saying Mr Miliband was doing a good and bad job was +3.2 points to Mr Cameron's +2.3.

But the Labour leader still trails the Prime Minister in the ratings for who would be best to lead the country after the General Election - Mr Miliband is on 25% to Mr Cameron's 37%.

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The survey also found Labour's pledge to abolish the non-dom tax status has received broad approval, with 59% in favour and 16% against.

The poll found the policy even had support from Tory voters.

Sky's Political Editor Faisal Islam said: "It does seem that the nom-dom policy has had a marked impact on the polls."

He added: "It is worth noting that we've now had a run of polls showing Labour ahead by between one and six points.

Video: Is The Campaign Getting Personal?

"Labour seem to be creeping ahead."

The ComRes research also had some good news for the Lib Dems - they gained three points to draw level with UKIP on 12%.

Greens were down a point at 4%, according to the survey.

But the Greens were up two points to 4% in the Survation poll.

It found UKIP's support dropped three points to 15%, and the Lib Dems and SNP were unchanged on 9% and 5% respectively.

Panelbase also had UKIP down, dropping one point to 16%. The Lib Dems were up one on 8% and the Greens dropped one to 4%.

In the TNS Omnibus survey, UKIP went up three to 19%, the Lib Dems were unchanged on 8%, the Greens down one on 4% and others at 7%.

:: Survation interviewed 1,111 adults on April 7 and 8.

:: TNS interviewed online a representative sample of 1,207 adults between 2 and 7 April.

:: ComRes interviewed 1,013 adults by telephone between 7 and 8 April.

:: Panelbase interviewed 1,013 people between 7 and 9 April.

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Miliband Attacks SNP's '£7.6bn Black Hole'

By Sophy Ridge, Political Correspondent

Ed Miliband is in Scotland for the first time in his election campaign - claiming SNP policy would cause a £7.6bn black hole.

Sharing a platform with Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy and Ed Balls, he attacked SNP plans for full fiscal autonomy for Scotland.

He said SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon's announcement this week that she would vote for autonomy within a year, if given the chance, was "one of the most significant" events of the campaign.

Sky's poll of Scottish polls on 10 April

Labour are under pressure north of the border thanks to growing support for the SNP, which could cost them dozens of seats and even deprive them of a majority.

Almost half (46%) of voters north of the border would back the SNP at the General Election, according to Sky's latest poll of Scottish polls.

Video: Ed Miliband Heads To Scotland

:: Ed Miliband Profile: The Picture Imperfect Leader

Mr Miliband said full fiscal autonomy would mean a £7.6bn hole in Scotland's finances that "would need to be filled with more taxes on working people or more borrowing".

"This strikes to the very heart of what I believe in. I will never sell Scotland short by signing up to the SNP's plans," he said.

He challenged the SNP to say where cuts would be made to service the funding gap.

"Which services will be cut? Which taxes will be raised? And what cuts will it mean for pensioners in Scotland when they are taken out of the UK pensions system?" he said.

"The SNP claim in this campaign to be proposing no reductions in spending, but in fact they are planning dramatic reductions in spending. They must now come clean."

Video: Labour Ahead In Latest Poll

Mr Miliband also attacked the Conservatives, saying their campaign is descending into "desperation and panic" after David Cameron unveiled plans to freeze commuter rail fares and offer workers three paid days off for volunteering.

He accused the Tories of deploying personal abuse and "unfunded and unbelievable promises" in their efforts to keep Mr Cameron in 10 Downing Street.

Mr Murphy has previously been careful to put distance between himself and Labour's Westminster leadership, saying: "I'm my own man".

It was the first time the two men have shared a platform since the start of the campaign.

Mr Murphy began the speeches, saying his party are "determined to end this Tory austerity".

He said the SNP's plans for fiscal autonomy had not been thought through and were a "slogan in search of a policy".

Video: Trident: SNP Wouldn't Back Labour

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Earlier, Ms Sturgeon denied Labour's "desperate" claim that there are billions of pounds of cuts on the horizon under her autonomy plan.

"This is desperation on the part of the Labour Party," she said while campaigning on the streets of Stirling.

"Instead of putting forward a positive case of their own, they are resorting to the same fears and smears that they resorted to during the referendum.

"The truth is the only cuts on the horizon for Scotland are the ones that the Tories are proposing and Labour are backing."

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Miliband Says Fallon Has 'Demeaned Himself'

Ed Miliband has hit back at the Defence Secretary for a personal attack in which Michael Fallon accused the Labour leader of being a "backstabber".

The Labour leader said Mr Fallon was a "decent man" but he had "demeaned himself and he has demeaned his office" with his comments over Mr Miliband's relationship with his brother.

The Defence Secretary had warned in an article he wrote for The Times that Mr Miliband would do a deal with the SNP over the Trident nuclear deterrent because he could not be trusted.

The Tories also launched a fresh attack ad today

He said Mr Miliband had "stabbed his own brother in the back" to become Labour leader and would be willing to "stab the United Kingdom in the back" to become prime minister.

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Video: 'We're Not Slinging Mud'

The two men were speaking at separate events in London.

Mr Miliband said: "Michael Fallon is a decent man but today I think he has demeaned himself and he has demeaned his office and national security is too important to play politics with.

"I will never compromise our national security, I will never negotiate away our national security and you know what, the Conservative Party can throw what they like at me but I am going to carry on concentrating on the issues that matter to the British people."

Mr Fallon made his comments ahead of today's event in which he pledged the Tories would maintain a continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent by building a fleet of four Successor Ballistic Missile Submarines if they win on 7 May.

Video: Cameron Standing By Fallon Attack

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He warned that Mr Miliband must not be allowed to trade away Britain's nuclear deterrent for a deal with the SNP that would put him in power.

Challenged on Sky News over his attack on Mr Miliband, Mr Fallon said: "We're not slinging mud. This is an issue of trust and character.

"We've made it clear we are going to renew those submarines. If you vote Labour you could end up, because of the SNP position, with a coalition where Ed Miliband does some grubby deal behind the scenes with Nicola Sturgeon of the SNP.

Video: SNP Leader Triggers Trident Row

"We need to get that out into the open so people know, in four weeks' time, exactly what they are voting for."

UKIP economic spokesman Patrick O'Flynn criticised Mr Fallon and said: "We think it is a bit odd that Michael Fallon should be trying to link defence of the realm to the way in which Ed Miliband became Labour Party leader.

"That personal attack, to me, speaks of a Defence Secretary who is trying to distract from the fact that Conservatives are not pledging to fully resource our armed forces, they are not meeting the Nato 2% commitment. We would commit totally to upgrading Trident. We can afford to do so."

Asked if he supported Mr Fallon's comments, David Cameron said: "Of course. Michael Fallon is making a very important point which is first of all only the Conservatives are absolutely guaranteeing a full replacement of Trident with four submarines and continuous at sea deterrence.

Video: 2013: UK Must Maintain Trident

"It is important that in a dangerous insecure world we have that ultimate insurance policy."

The Labour leader spoke of how his relationship with his brother had become "strained" after the Labour leadership battle and had been very hard for the family after being questioned on the Sky News/Channel 4 Battle For Number 10 programme.

:: Ed Miliband Profile: The Picture Imperfect Leader

With the polls suggesting the SNP could be the third largest party in another hung parliament, Ms Sturgeon has made clear that the price of their support for Labour after the election would include scrapping Trident.

Video: Faisal Files: Non-Doms And Tax

Speaking in her second televised debate in 24 hours on Wednesday night, Ms Sturgeon said the SNP would never vote in the Commons to renew Trident nuclear weapons.

Mr Fallon said that Britain has kept a ballistic missile submarine at sea to deter a nuclear attack for 46 years.

He added that, with as many as 17,000 nuclear weapons around the world and concerning moves from Russia and North Korea, renewing Trident is "the only responsible choice".

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Judge And Lawyer Shot Dead In Court

A man has been arrested after a judge and lawyer were shot dead in a court in Milan, the Italian Interior Minister says.

The man was found by police in the town of Vimercate, 25km from Milan, after fleeing on a motorbike, Angelino Alfano said.

He was named as Claudio Giardiello, a defendant in a bankruptcy case at the Palace of Justice building.

Mr Alfano added that the suspect was being held in a military police barracks.

Police snipers arrive at the court

The area around the court was cordoned off after the shooting and people were initially told to remain inside.

A person speaking from inside the president's office at the court told Sky News shortly after the shooting that they had been locked in a room and instructed not to leave.

Women were later seen leaving the building first followed by men, after having their identification checked.

The gunman fired "at least three or four shots", according to lawyer Marcello Ilia.

The scene outside after the shooting Pic: SKY TG24

"We tried to find out what was going on. There were suddenly lots of police officers who told us not to leave the room, they shut us in," he said.

"After a few minutes we came out. They told us someone in a suit and tie was armed and at large in the court."

It was unclear how the armed man gained access to the building as visitors must pass through metal detectors.

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Oil Find Near Gatwick May Be 'World Class'

The estimated size of an oil find near Gatwick Airport has been upgraded to 100 billion barrels.

UK Oil & Gas Investments (UKOG) said the Horse Hill-1 well in the Weald Basin was now thought to hold 158 million barrels per square mile.

In May 2014, the British Geological Survey estimated the Weald Basin to hold around 4.4 billion barrels of shale oil.

UKOG described the find as a possible "world class" resource with the potential for "significant daily oil production."

The site at Horse Hill in Sussex

The company's chairman David Lenigas, said it would create "many thousands of jobs" but cautioned that it would take a long time to begin production. 

He said: "You've got to work through government process and to work with the local community. Everybody expects you to snap your fingers and all of a sudden the magic panacea is there. The key thing is there is a potential resource of significance here - but the fast track or slow track nature is really going to be determined by Westminster".

The US-based firm which studied the reservoir estimated that recovery of the oil would be limited at between 3% and 15% of the total.

UK Oil and Gas insist there will be no fracking at Horse Hill

It also insisted there was no need to use the controversial extraction process, known as fracking, to get access to the oil.

Mr Lenigas said:  "Horse Hill is a conventional well, with conventional testing and we've got permission from the government authorities for a conventional programme. There will be no fracking at Horse Hill."

But local campaigners believe fracking will be necessary at some point in the future.

Local residents are concerned about damage to the countryside

Anti-fracking campaigner Charles Metcalfe said: "South East England is the most densely populated corner of England. To start drilling holes all over the place will completely change the nature of our countryside forever. And if the result is that you're not getting very much oil out of it, then that's awful".

Environmental group Greenpeace urged people to focus on clean technologies.

Greenpeace's chief scientist Dr Doug Parr said : "To gleefully rub your hands at a new fossil fuel discovery you need to turn the clock back to the 19th century and ignore everything we have learnt about climate change since. We already have more than enough coal, oil, and gas reserves to fry the planet".

The UK currently produces 770,000 barrels of oil per day, compared to 11.1 million in the United States and 11.7 million in Saudi Arabia.

The announcement helped shares in UKOG rise more than 300% during trading on Thursday. 

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Everything You Need To Know About Non-Doms

Who are the non-doms, what tax do they avoid and who introduced these rules anyway? Here is all you need to know.

:: What is non-dom status?

Non-domiciled status can be claimed where you are living in the UK but your father or grandfather was resident in another country when you were born. (Grandfather because non-dom status can be inherited).

It means you do not have to pay UK tax on money earned outside the UK.

:: What if my mother or grandmother were resident outside the UK when I was born?

Tough luck, you do not qualify. The rules are a bit sexist like that.

:: Rules or law?

Actually non-dom status is a tax rule. It was introduced by William Pitt the Younger in 1799 - along with income tax.

The caveat was included as an allowance for ships bringing goods back from the colonies.

:: How many non-doms are there?

Around 116,000. They tend to be very rich.

Among them are HSBC boss Stuart Gulliver and steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal.

Conservative peer Lord Ashcroft gave up his non-dom status in 2010 so he could remain in the House of Lords.

:: And does it effectively turn the UK into a tax haven for the rich as Labour is claiming?

Yes, and no. People may still have to pay tax in the country where they are earning cash.

That said, leaked files earlier this year showed some were paying no tax anywhere in the world by using Swiss bank accounts at the suggestion of HSBC.

:: So do non-doms get away without paying anything in the UK?

They did - but now they only do for seven years. In 2008 Labour tightened the rules.

Those who have lived in the UK for seven years had to pay an annual fee of £30,000 if they wanted to keep their non-dom status.

George Osborne tightened it further still in the Autumn Statement - increasing the fee for those living in the UK for 17 years to £90,000.

:: For really rich people that annual fee still seems a pretty good deal

It has been said. One non-dom told Sky's Political Editor Faisal Islam that the Chancellor could raise the annual fee to £250,000 and it would still be worth him staying in the UK.

:: And Labour is going to abolish non-dom status?

That is what Ed Miliband has said. It's part of his "broadest shoulders bearing the heaviest burden" approach.

However, the Conservatives point out that technically it is more small adjustments on how long people can be non-dom.

The full details of Labour's plans are as yet unclear, but it will allow only "real temporary residents" to take advantage of the tax benefits.

:: If non-doms had to pay UK tax how much would the country get?

Hundreds of millions according to Labour.

:: Then what are the drawbacks?

The UK could lose hundreds of millions, according to the Tories.

There is a fear if the very rich had to pay tax at the same level the rest of the population do then there would be a "flight of cash and talent", ie they would leave the UK and take the investment, fees they do pay, money they donate to the arts and charities with them.

This could be more costly in the long run. In the 13 years it was in power Labour did review non-dom status and decided not to scrap it.

:: Would the rich really move out lock, stock and barrel?

Just as a number of people cry flight, many also point out that London as a financial capital is a significant draw to the very wealthy and the attractions of that would not be wiped out by paying tax - although it is broadly accepted there would be some departures.

The Financial Times has spoken in support of scrapping the status.

Dragon's Den star Duncan Bannatyne, who last week signed up to a letter supporting the Tories on corporation tax, is in favour of the move.

:: Any other issues?

As Sky's Economics Editor Ed Conway points out: "If Labour do scrap non-dom status & bring in a mansion tax, one can only imagine the scale of collapse of the prime London property market."

:: And are all party members on the same page with this?

There is some confusion.

Tory Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said in interview that the Tories wanted those based in the UK to pay tax on all their earnings - even those from abroad. Although this has not been the Conservative standpoint.

Meanwhile, an interview with shadow chancellor Ed Balls has been unearthed in which he says the UK could not afford to scrap non-dom status.

:: What do other countries do?

The UK deal is very generous but others, including Belgium and the Netherlands, have similar rules.

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Labour Would Abolish 'Non-Dom' Tax Status

By Jason Farrell, Senior Political Correspondent

Labour leader Ed Miliband has said he will abolish "non-domiciled" status if he wins the General Election.

"Non-dom" residency allows around 116,000 individuals to exempt their offshore income from UK tax for an annual charge.

In a speech in Warwickshire, Mr Miliband said the rich should not be allowed to "operate under different rules".

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"The next Labour government will abolish the non-dom rule. And we will replace it with a clear principle - anyone permanently resident in the UK will pay tax in the same way," he said.

Video: Miliband Wants To End Non-Doms

The party expects the move to raise "hundreds of millions of pounds" which will be used to reduce the deficit.

There are an estimated 116,000 non-doms living in the UK who only have to pay UK taxes on money they bring into the country.

Their income from overseas investments does not have to be declared.

The 200-year-old rule has been criticised for being open to exploitation by a jet-set elite looking to minimise their tax liabilities.

However, it is argued that the tax law encourages skilled workers and large investors from abroad to locate here and contribute to the UK economy.

Video: Election In 60 Seconds: Europe Row

Mr Miliband said: "The problem is it isn't true. It is a recipe that doesn't work for most working people, doesn't work for business and doesn't work for Britain.

"It works against every business and working person in this country who has to pay more as a result, everybody who relies on public services like the NHS, everybody who believes in Britain and a fair and modern country.

"The United States doesn't do it. No other major country in the developed world does it. No one would propose doing it now if didn't already exist. One rule for some and another for others? It is unjust, it does not work, it holds Britain back and we will stop it."

In 2008, Labour announced plans to charge non-doms £30,000 a year if they had been resident in the UK for seven of the previous 10 years.

George Osborne increased this to £90,000 for those who have lived here for 17 out of the past 20 years.

Video: The Faisal Files: Day 9

But a spokesman for Ed Miliband said: "UK citizens should pay tax on all gains, anywhere in the world."

He added: "There should be no different rules between rich and poor."

Famous "non-doms" include some of Britain's richest individuals, such as Indian steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal.

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Jewellery Heist: Gems 'Already Out Of Country'

Gems stolen in one of the largest and most daring jewellery heists ever will already be out of the country, a former Flying Squad chief believes.

Jewellery and precious stones, which could be worth millions of pounds, were snatched by thieves from a vault in Hatton Garden, London, over the weekend.

The audacious villains are believed to have broken into the building through the roof and abseiled down a lift shaft to access the vault.

A statement from the Metropolitan Police said heavy cutting equipment was then used get into a vault at the premises, where 60/70 safe boxes were raided.

The vault is believed to be reinforced with thick metal and concrete protection doors, up to 2ft thick.

Video: Vault Customer's 'Shock' At Raid

Speaking to Sky News, former Flying Squad chief Barry Phillips described the heist as "sophisticated" and "highly organised".

He said the robbery will have been carried out by a "professional team".

"This has all the hallmarks of a TV or Hollywood film production," Mr Phillips said.

"It was a highly organised, sophisticated crime.

"It's highly likely that any gems or jewellery will have already been sourced and out of the country.

"If past jobs of this nature are taken into account, the thieves will have placed all of the jewellery prior to the robbery.

"That takes a high degree of organisation on behalf of the villains."

Video: 1949: The Hatton Garden Vault Opens

Police have not put a value on the goods stolen, but estimates vary widely from hundreds of thousands of pounds to £200m.

One victim of the heist, a jeweller from the area, has spoken of his "extreme shock".

He said he feared that a £5,000 watch he bought for his son on the day he was born might have been stolen.

Michael Miller told Sky News he "felt sick" at the prospect of losing up to £50,000 of jewellery and watches during the burglary.

Mr Miller said his goods - like those of many with deposit boxes there - were uninsured.

Sky's Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said: "The suspects have had perhaps several days (over the Easter weekend) in which to get in.

"One report, I'm told, suggested that they used a lift shaft at some stage to get into the centre, which must be pretty heavily protected.

Video: 'I May Have Lost £35,000'

"It's probably going to be some days before we get an idea of exactly how much has been stolen or what indeed has been stolen."

Hatton Garden is known as London's jewellery quarter and the safe deposit boxes are mainly used by local jewellers to store loose diamonds in packets.

Other boxes - around 10% of them - are rented by private individuals and so the true value of the heist may never be known, Mr Phillips said. 

Lewis Malka, a diamond jewellery expert who works in Hatton Garden, tweeted: "Quiet day in the office and then I found out one of my client's antique bracelets was stolen in the Hatton Garden robbery."

Mr Malka added: "Most of the people who have got safe deposits there are people in the trade.

"I know for a fact that some of my work colleagues have got boxes down there and we are talking about hundreds and hundreds of thousands of pounds in goods."

In 2003, cash and valuables worth an estimated £1.5m were stolen after a suspect emptied safe boxes at the Hatton vault while posing as a customer.

1/5

1. Gallery: From Securitas To Brink's-Mat

   The Securitas depot raid in Tonbridge, 2006, was the largest cash robbery in UK history, netting the gang more than £53m after they kidnapped the site manager and his family. Four received life terms

Graff's Jewellers in London's New Bond Street was hit by men whose faces had been disguised by prosthetics in 2009. They took jewellery valued at £40m but the gang was jailed for a total of 71 years

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Tony Blair Criticises Cameron Over Europe

Tony Blair has warned David Cameron's promise of an EU referendum is an "unacceptable gamble" with Britain's future.

The former Labour prime minister also told Sky News the current party leader Ed Miliband had his "100%" support, and said he had showed "real leadership" in resisting calls to back an in/out vote.

Speaking in his former constituency of Sedgefield, Mr Blair claimed the PM did not believe the UK should quit Europe, but had committed to a referendum in 2017 as a "sop" to the right wing of his party and UKIP.

But he warned the vote would be a "huge distraction", risking economic chaos and threatening the UK's national interest.

It would also put EU "exit" on the agenda for the first time.

And he had sharp words for UKIP, arguing its brand of nationalism as "ugly".

In his speech Mr Blair said: "I believe passionately that leaving Europe would leave Britain diminished in the world, do significant damage to our economy and, less obviously but just as important to our future, would go against the very qualities and ambitions that mark us out still as a great global nation.

"Think of the chaos produced by the possibility never mind the reality of Britain quitting Europe.

"Jobs that are secure suddenly insecure; investment decisions postponed or cancelled; a pall of unpredictability hanging over the British economy."

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He added: "And the oddest thing of all about David Cameron's position? The PM doesn't really believe we should leave Europe; not even the Europe as it is today.

"This was a concession to party, a manoeuvre to access some of the UKIP vote, a sop to the rampant anti-Europe feeling of parts of the media.

"This issue, touching as it does the country's future, is too important to be traded like this."

In a broadside against UKIP, Mr Blair said: "National pride is a great thing. Nationalism, as a political cause in the hands of parties like UKIP, is almost always ugly and, despite being wrapped in the garb on high-sounding phrases, can never disguise its essentially mean spirit."

And praising Mr Miliband's stance, Mr Blair said: "Labour and its leader took a brave decision when they decided not to yield to pressure but instead to make the principled and intelligent case for Britain in Europe.

"In doing so, in my view, they showed they understand Britain's future and its destiny better than those prepared to trade policy for political advantage.

"That is one very good reason, amongst many others, for voting Labour on May 7."

Asked afterwards about his relationship with Mr Miliband, Mr Blair told Sky News: "I support him 100% to lead our party to victory at the election."

However, he went on to point out there had "always been disagreement" within Labour hinting at behind-the-scenes differences over the direction Mr Miliband was taking the party in.

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Labour Attacks Tory Record On GP Opening Hours

By Niall Paterson, Sky News Correspondent

Labour has claimed that almost 600 fewer GP surgeries are currently open during evenings and weekends compared to the last parliament.

Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham says coalition policies on health are forcing people to queue lengthy periods to access a GP, with many visiting accident and emergency instead.

The Conservatives dispute the claim, which comes one month before voters go to the polls, and insist out-of-hours access to doctors is being extended.

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Labour has launched a new campaign poster focussing on access to GPs

The row comes as it was revealed accident and emergency waiting times at hospitals in England are the longest they have been since records began in 2004.

New figures show just 91.8% of patients were seen within four hours in the three-month period to March, against a target of 95%.

Video: GP Opening Hours Row

On GP opening, Mr Burnham said Labour introduced an extended hours scheme which in 2009 funded 77% of surgeries to open their doors on evenings and weekends.

He said the coalition has cut funding from £3.01 per patient to £1.90 per patient, meaning that by 2013/14 only 72% of surgeries were offering extended hours. 

Labour says its figures were sourced from a parliamentary question and are up to date.

Mr Burnham said: "Today, across the country, people will face the frustration of joining a queue to see their GP - in some places the lines will go out of the surgery door.

"After five years of David Cameron, patients at hundreds of surgeries can no longer get a GP appointment when they need one."

But Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said Labour's figures are "wrong", and pointed to the Prime Minister's Challenge Fund as evidence the Conservatives have boosted access to GPs.

Video: Nick Clegg Attacks Tory Tax Plans

Mr Hunt said the scheme covered 1,100 practices and helped 7.5 million patients see GPs out of normal hours.

He said: "We are extending this scheme to cover over 1,400 additional practices, helping 10 million extra people by this time next year.

"The next Conservative government will deliver a truly seven-day NHS, putting right a problem which began with Labour's disastrous 2004 GP contract.

"You can only have a strong NHS if you have a strong economy.

"Ed Miliband as prime minister - propped up by Alex Salmond and the SNP - would wreck the economy, risking the funding our NHS needs. Patients would pay the price."

Speaking on Sky News, Home Secretary Theresa May also disputed the opposition figures and argued it was Labour which changed the GPs' contract in 2004 that meant doctors were no longer required to provide out-of-hours services.

Video: Faisal Files: Day Eight

She said: "I've not seen people queuing out of the door of a GP's surgery.

"It's a bit rich to make these sort of claims now when actually the change in the GPs' contract was made by a Labour government."

The dispute comes a month before voters head to the ballot box and as the Prime Minister warns about the potential "disaster of an Ed Miliband government".

Mr Cameron has embarked on a four-country tour of the United Kingdom, with events being held in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

He is set to push his message that the Conservatives have led an economic revival in Britain.

He will also appeal for potential UKIP voters to "come home" to the Conservatives in order to avoid a Labour election win.

Video: PM Outlines Tax Position

Speaking ahead of today's campaign visits, Mr Cameron said: "We have one month to save our economy from the disaster of an Ed Miliband government."

"We have one month to save Britain from his mountain of debt; one month to save Britain from his punitive taxes."

He added that the Labour leader was pursuing policies which are "anti-business and anti-aspiration".

During campaigning over the Easter weekend, Labour accused the Conservatives of plotting a secret tax cut for millionaires after the General Election.

Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls predicted a Tory-led government would hike VAT - something Mr Cameron has ruled out - and slash the top rate of income tax for earnings over £150,000.

Meanwhile the Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has set out proposals to raise the threshold at which people start paying income tax to £11,000 next year, with a promise of a further rise to £12,500 by 2020.

Video: Labour: Tories Plan Secret Tax Cut

The income tax cut will be funded by increasing tax on shareholders' dividend payments, Mr Clegg said.

He claimed the Tory plans for tax cuts would be paid for by deep cuts to public services.

Mr Clegg said the Conservatives were "desperate" to claim credit for raising the personal tax threshold.

"The problem is making life a little easier for working people has never been David Cameron's and George Osborne's priority and it isn't now," he said.

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No Further Police Action After Clarkson Attack

North Yorkshire Police has said there will be no further action against Jeremy Clarkson after he attacked a Top Gear producer last month.

Oisin Tymon, who was left with a split lip after the fight at a hotel, said last week that he did not wish to press charges against his former colleague.

He had to drive himself to hospital after the row in which he also received a torrent of verbal abuse.

Clarkson reported the 4 March incident to the BBC five days later and was suspended by the broadcaster on 10 March before it announced his contract would not be renewed.

Mr Tymon has struggled with the media attention

The force spoke to people who witnessed what the BBC called a "fracas" and has now completed its "routine enquiries".

It said: "Now that all the interviews are complete, we have properly established that there is no need for further police action."

Video: What James May Doesn't Know

It emerged last week that Clarkson will appear on stage with his former Top Gear colleagues, Richard Hammond and James May, later this year to fulfil a series of gigs planned before he left the BBC.

The gigs will be stripped of all BBC branding and content, and billed as Clarkson, Hammond and May Live.

That means the shows, which will take in venues as far afield as Australia, Norway, South Africa and the UK, will not be able to use clips from the show or feature The Stig.

The move is likely to spark rumours the three men intend to team up to continue their careers together after Clarkson's exit from the corporation, but sources close to the tour say it is just a matter of fulfilling commitments to the fans.

The future of the show's other two presenters - Hammond and May - is unclear, with both men's Top Gear contracts having run out.

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Thousands 'Might Die' In Superbug Outbreak

Up to 80,000 people may die if there is an outbreak of a major drug-resistant infection, according to a Government forecast.

A report produced for the Cabinet Office warns that if a new superbug develops, as many as 200,000 people might be infected by a bacterial blood infection.

The National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies report, which aims to assess the threat level from emergencies, is produced annually to help the Government decide on policy.

The report says that over the next two decades the number of infections complicated by superbugs is expected to rise significantly.

It warns that routine medical treatments could become "high-risk" because of the growing resistance to antibiotics.

Video: 2014: The Rise Of Superbugs

The report states: "An increasingly serious issue is the development and spread of AMR (antimicrobial resistance), which occurs when drugs are no longer effective in treating infections caused by micro-organisms.

"Without effective antibiotics, even minor surgery and routine operations could become high-risk procedures, leading to increased duration of illness and ultimately premature mortality.

"Much of modern medicine (for example, organ transplantation, bowel surgery and some cancer treatments) may become unsafe due to the risk of infection.

"In addition, influenza pandemics would become more serious without effective treatments."

The assessment adds: "The numbers of infections complicated by AMR are expected to increase markedly over the next 20 years.

"If a widespread outbreak were to occur, we could expect around 200,000 people to be affected by a bacterial blood infection that could not be treated effectively with existing drugs, and around 80,000 of these people might die.

Video: 2013: Bacteria-Busting Virus

"High numbers of deaths could also be expected from other forms of antimicrobial resistant infection."

Politicians and scientists have previously warned of the need to find a cure for infections that have become resistant to drugs.

Prime Minister David Cameron has stated that it is a "very real and worrying threat" which could result in medicine being sent "back into the dark ages".

Professor Dame Sally Davies, chief medical officer for England, said last year: "The world simply cannot afford not to take action to tackle the alarming rise in resistance to antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs we are witnessing at the moment."

In 2013, the Government produced a five-year Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy, which aims to tackle the threat from AMR.

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'Radical' Pension Changes Come Into Force

By Poppy Trowbridge, Consumer Affairs Correspondent

Major changes to pension rules come into effect today which will allow savers to have more control over their money when they retire.

People aged over 55 are now able to cash in their pensions and spend them as they wish.

The changes were announced by Chancellor George Osborne in his Autumn Statement and were expanded in last month's Budget.

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Retirees are no longer required to use their pension pot to buy an annuity when they retire.

Video: March: Chancellor's Budget Pledge

They can now take their pot in one go, or use it like a bank account to withdraw money in slices.

The changes will apply to the 320,000 people who retire each year with a defined contribution (DC) pension.

Around 540,000 people will be able to take control of their savings from today, according to estimates from the Government.

And from next year, as many as six million pensioners who already have an annuity will be allowed to sell them for cash.

Critics of the new system say savers will be tempted to go on a spending spree, leaving the state to pick up the tab later on.

But Pensions Minister Steve Webb told Sky News: "We're not going to have two million people making decisions this week or this month.

"We certainly think there will be many thousands of people who have planned very carefully and put the capacity in place.

"But I think lots of people, although they in theory could use these new freedoms, in fact if you're in your late 50s and still working, you may go on saving into a pension for many years to come."

Video: March: Pension Details Scandal

Government advisor and pension expert Ros Altmann said: "This is a radical departure from the past. I would trust people with their own money.

"Now it's up to the industry to offer better products and more choice."

The freedoms come at a price: those who choose to tap their defined contribution pension pots for cash should be aware of income tax thresholds.

Some 25% of a person's savings can be taken tax free. Any extra that is withdrawn is liable for income tax at 40% if the total exceeds £42,386 when added to annual income.

The revenues from this could raise an extra £1bn for the Treasury, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

The Government's free, impartial, Pension Wise service has been established to offer guidance to everyone eligible for the freedoms.

Pensions minister Steve Webb said: "It is right that people should have the power to make their own decisions about how they spend their own money after decades of careful saving - ending the effective obligation to buy an annuity will give people back control of their financial affairs."

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Tories 'Plan Secret Tax Cut For Millionaires'

Labour has accused the Conservatives of plotting a secret tax cut for millionaires after the General Election, as political parties launched a battle over economic statistics.

Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls predicted a Conservative government would hike VAT - something David Cameron has ruled out - and slash the top rate of income tax for earnings over £150,000 from 45p to 40p.

The allegation was among a series of claims and counter claims as Labour, the Conservatives and the Lib Dems all claimed their rival parties would make people worse off.

Mr Balls said: "We know that is their secret plan - another big tax cut for millionaires.

"How can it be fair when families here in Leeds and across the country are struggling and £1,100 a year worse-off?

Video: Faisal Files: Decisive Devon

"How can it be fair to have a tax cut for the very richest  when our NHS is in crisis and going backwards?

"How can this be fair when we need to get the deficit down and the Tories are now planning deeper cuts in the next three years than the last five?"

While Chancellor George Osborne has said there are "no plans" for a cut to the 45p rate of tax, he refused to rule it out definitively four times on Sky News.

But Tory Treasury minister David Gauke hit back by claiming Labour has a secret plan to boost revenues by dragging more workers into the 40p higher rate of income tax and increasing national insurance contributions.

"Ed Balls and Ed Miliband must set out the details of their secret plan for £3,028 of tax rises on every working family - the British people have a right to know what these tax hikes are.

"The choice at this election is clear. Lower taxes under David Cameron. Or higher taxes under Ed Miliband and the SNP."

Prime Minister David Cameron will later claim 94% of working families are better off after tax and welfare changes this financial year.

Video: Election Day Seven: Milking It

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According to the leader of the Conservatives, Treasury statistics show working households will on average benefit by £200 a year, and pensioner households by £180.

Mr Cameron is expected to say: "Today is a big day for our country. It's 'money-back Monday' - a day when, quite simply, hardworking taxpayers get to keep more of their own cash.

"A whole host of changes to our tax, benefits, pensions and savings systems come into effect today.

"And, as a result - a result of action we Conservatives have taken - our country becomes a better and fairer place to live.

"(A place) where those who put in, get out; where hard work is rewarded; and people are trusted."

While the Conservatives are highlighting figures that indicate people are better off, Labour claim the opposite.

Video: Tax Rate Row: Labour Accuse Tories

Meanwhile, Lib Dem Chief Secretary Danny Alexander, has shared embarrassing details of a meeting from 2012.

Speaking to The Independent, Mr Alexander said: "The Tories' priority at the time was the top rate of tax.

"I remember one meeting with a group of senior Conservatives and one of them - I'm not going to say who - said: 'Listen, you take care of the workers and we'll take care of the bosses'."

Easter Monday also marks an overhaul of the pensions system, when for the first time pensioners will be able to cash in their savings rather than buy an annuity.

Liberal Democrat Pensions Minister Steve Webb said: "As a Liberal I believe people should have the freedom to do what they want with the money they have saved up throughout their working lives.

"Our pension reforms will mean millions more people will have a better retirement."

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Official's Son Among Kenya Massacre Gunmen

Kenya has begun three days of mourning for the 148 people killed in the university massacre as one of the four gunmen is identified.

Students who survived the attack by militant group al Shabaab have been reunited with their families.

One survivor, Cynthia Cheroitich, 19, told how she hid from gunmen by covering herself with clothes in a wardrobe.

She was found by security forces two days after the attack at Garissa University College, as medical staff carried out the grim task of dealing with victims' bodies.

Another 19-year-old student, Daniel Machache, smeared blood over his body and pretended he was dead to survive the slaughter.

Video: Survivors Describe Their Ordeal

Survivors were taken on government buses to the Nyayo National Stadium, which has been turned into a disaster centre.

Many relatives at the stadium desperately tried to trace their loved ones and find out if they were dead, injured or simply missing.

Thursday's attack, in the northeastern town of Garissa, close to the Somalia border, left 142 students, three police officers and three soldiers dead.

Four gunmen strapped with explosives stormed the campus and singled out non-Muslim students to be murdered.

The interior ministry identified one of the terrorists as Abdirahim Abdullahi, the son of a Kenyan government official.

Video: 'Evil Needs Only To Triumph Once'

"The father had reported to security agents that his son had disappeared from home ... and was helping the police try to trace his son by the time the Garissa terror attack happened," a spokesman said.

The government has defended its response to the one-day siege as it emerged Kenyan special forces were not deployed to the university for at least seven hours.

"This is negligence on a scale that borders on the criminal," Kenya's popular Nation newspaper wrote in its editorial on Sunday.

It emphasised how survivors said "the gunmen, who killed scores of students with obvious relish, took their time".

Some journalists based in Nairobi drove 225 miles to Garissa and arrived before special forces, who flew there.

Video: Woman Hid In Wardrobe From Gunmen

Kenyans are dedicating Easter Sunday prayer services to the victims, marking the first of three days of national mourning.

President Uhuru Kenyatta said the militants would face justice for the "mindless slaughter" and vowed to retaliate in the "severest way".

On Saturday, Somalia-based terror group al Shabaab warned of a "long, gruesome war" unless Kenya withdraws its troops from Somalia.

Hours after the warning, crowds gathered in Garissa as police paraded the gunmen's bodies in the back of a pick-up truck.

Officers said it was to see whether anyone could identify the terrorists, who were piled up face down in the vehicle.

Video: 'I Pretended To Be Dead'

Some onlookers threw stones at the bodies as they passed.

In Nairobi's ethnic Somali district, demonstrators took to the streets protesting against al Shabaab and calling for unity in the country.

Five people have been arrested over the attack, including three "coordinators" captured as they fled towards Somalia.

The suspected mastermind, Mohamed Mohamud, a former teacher in Garissa, is still on the run.

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Sturgeon: Help Me Lock Cameron Out Of No 10

Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon has offered Ed Miliband a new deal to help him take power and "lock David Cameron out of Downing Street".

Writing in the Observer, Ms Sturgeon challenged him to take his party into an anti-austerity alliance with the SNP - despite Mr Miliband ruling out any formal coalition.

Her words come a day after claims – strenuously denied by the SNP leader – that she had told the French ambassador she wanted Mr Cameron to stay as prime minister.

The Tories have seized on the prospect of a Labour-SNP coalition

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According to a leaked memo about the February meeting, she allegedly said Mr Miliband was not "prime minister material".

Video: Miliband Rules Out SNP Deal

But Ms Sturgeon has reinforced her earlier offer to the Labour leader, telling him: "If together our parties have the parliamentary numbers required after 7 May, and regardless of which is the biggest party, will he and Labour join with us in locking David Cameron out of Downing Street?"

The SNP leader also uses the article to repeat denials that the memo claims are "100% untrue – having been comprehensively rejected by both the French ambassador and consul general".

A coalition government seems a likely result after next month's election, with the result seemingly on a knife-edge and no one party looking like getting an overall majority.

The Conservatives have seized on the prospect of a Labour-SNP coalition with posters showing Mr Miliband in the pocket of Ms Sturgeon.

Video: Faisal Files: Sturgeon Memo Leak

The Labour leader has insisted "there will be no SNP ministers in any government I lead" - but crucially has not vetoed a looser arrangement that would see the party offering voting support to shore up Labour.

The SNP is glowing from a big boost in popularity in the wake of last year's independence referendum and - ironically - is expected to rob Labour of many of its Scottish MPs.

Ms Sturgeon was also seen by many as the best performer in the leaders' TV debate.

With just over four weeks to go, latest opinion polls put the Tories and Labour virtually level-pegging.

Video: French Official: No Sturgeon Leak

:: Track how the major parties are faring in the latest opinion polls with the Sky News poll of polls, which averages all the latest polls to get the overall picture.

Opinium research for The Observer has the Conservatives down one point on 33%, the same score as Labour (unchanged).

UKIP was up one point on 14%; Liberal Democrats down one on 7%, Greens unchanged on 7% and the SNP were up one on 4%.

A YouGov poll for the Sunday Times has the Conservatives overturning a four-point Labour advantage to now lead 34% to 33%. 

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Osborne Refuses To Rule Out Top-Rate Tax Cut

Chancellor George Osborne has repeatedly refused to rule out a tax cut for Britain's highest earners if the Conservatives win the election.

Mr Osborne told Sky News' Murnaghan programme his party had "no plans" to further reduce the top rate of tax and insisted it was not a priority.

But Labour pointed out these were same words he used on VAT before the last election, which the Government then raised.

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Mr Osborne said: "You can judge us by what we say we want to do.

"And what we want to do is increase the tax-free personal allowance to £12,500 so people full-time on the minimum wage don't have to pay income tax and millions are better off.

"And when it comes to higher rate taxpayers our priority is increasing the threshold at which you pay that higher rate, the 40p rate, to £50,000.

"Those are our big tax commitments for the coming parliament."

But pressed again over the top rate of income tax, he said: "If that was our priority or our plan we would have made it part of our plan and made it one of our priorities.

"I am telling you what our priority is. We have made a big tax-cutting priority and that's what we are absolutely 100% focused on delivering and achieving.

"Not because it's a nice thing to have but because its central to our economic plan and making work pay."

But Labour's Chris Leslie said this was the same argument previously used by Mr Osborne over VAT, which he had then increased in office.

Mr Leslie said: "That's the same formula he had before the last General Election when he said we have no plans on VAT and of course they did it.

"Their priority is always about helping the very richest in society."

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