Ed Miliband launches five point pledge card to help families pay their bills

By Tim Montgomerie
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The five pledges are:

1. Stop the Government’s raid on pensioners and block its £40,000 tax cut to 14,000 millionaires
2. End rail rip-offs by capping fares increases on every route
3. Force the energy firms to cut gas and electricity bills for 4 million over-75s
4. Stop excessive fees charged by banks and low cost airlines
5. Defend working families from raid on their tax credits by reversing Govt’s pension tax break for those earning over £150k

This is the message that Labour will be taking on to the doorstep for the local elections campaigns. The latest YouGov poll has Labour opening up its biggest lead since the election - 43% over 33%. The last time the elections were fought the Conservatives were on 44% and Labour on 24%.

Over at Sky Jon Craig looks at the landscape for the local elections:

"Labour will hope to take control of Eric Pickles' city, Bradford, and Birmingham and perhaps Derby, Reading and Plymouth. The Tories may lose control of Solihull, Dudley and Walsall in the West Midlands, but may take control of Swindon. Their Coalition partners the Liberal Democrats could lose control in Eastleigh, Chris Huhne's constituency, and Cambridge."