LABOUR

Economy/City

No income tax rise; only borrow to invest; reform Incapacity Benefit to get more back to work; targeted tax cuts for families; maintain 2per cent inflation target; aim to increase employment to 80per cent;

increase investment in research and development to 2.5per cent of national income by 2014.

Transport

[pounds]180bn public investment in next decade; car-pool lanes for cars with more than one passenger;

investigate moving away from motoring taxation towards national scheme of road-pricing.

Europe

Hold referendum on new constitution and campaign wholeheartedly for yes vote; use UK presidency to promote economic reform in Europe, bear down on red tape, and bring closer EU membership of Turkey and east European states.

Family

Child poverty to be halved by 2011;

paid maternity leave increased to nine months from 2007; consultation on extending paternity leave.

Immigration/Asylum

Points system for migrant workers; only skilled workers allowed to settle long-term; employers fined [pounds]2000 for each illegal immigrant hired; ID cards for all visitors staying more than three months; fast-tracking of all unfounded asylum seekers.

Health

(England only) By end of 2008, no NHS patient to wait longer than 18 weeks from time of GP referral for hospital to operation; patients to be able to choose from any hospital; new laws to enforce higher hygience standards in hospitals.

Education

(England only) Share of national income devoted to education to rise; zero-tolerance approach to low-level classroom disruption;

parenting orders and fines for parents whose children do not attend school.

Iraq/Defence

Respect anti-war views but people should now unite to back Iraq's fledgling democracy; UK troops to stay there for as long as Iraqis want them; cut army battalions and spend savings on support services like engineers.

Environment

Commitment to work for international agreement to stabilise level of greenhouse gases; UK to achieve 20per cent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2010; push for reform of Common Agricultural Policy; introduce Animal Welfare Bill in next parliament.

Pensioners

Over-65s to get [pounds]200 one-off council tax rebate; increase pension credit in line with earnings up to 2008; create programme to enable senior citizens to become mentors and coaches to gifted youngsters.

Law & order/civil liberties

New violent crime reduction bill to restrict sale of replica guns; raise age limit to 18 for buying knives;

tighten law on airguns; tougher sentences for carrying replica guns; introduce ID cards on voluntary basis; new anti-terror laws; establish British FBI.

Other issues

Review House of Lords; extend workers' entitlement to four weeks' paid holiday on top of bank holiday entitlement; review impact on Royal Mail of market liberalisation; aim to increase sports participation; more afterschools activities for youngsters.

CONSERVATIVE

Match Labour on spending on schools, hospitals, transport, and aid, but spend more on police, defence and pensions; save [pounds]12bn by axeing 235,000 civil service jobs, quangos, and red tape;

incentives to boost saving; double stamp duty threshold to [pounds]250,000.

Modernise road network; review all speed cameras; successful rail operators to get extended franchises to provide more investment in stations and trains.

Oppose EU constitution and give voters referendum within six months of taking office; no to euro; renegotiate opt-out on Social Chapter to create more employment flexibility.

More flexible maternity pay; those qualifying for working tax credit to get [pounds]50 per week for each child under five; flexibility for parents to choose between formal and informal childcare.

Limit on immigrants and quota for asylum seekers; 24-hour ports surveillance; restore full embarkation controls; set up border police force; health checks for immigrants to stop spread of diseases and protect NHS from "health shoppers".

(England only) NHS remains free to use but half of cost of private care paid; axe centrally-held targets; free up hospitals to hire staff, specialise and borrow to invest; bring back matron with power to close dirty wards.

(England only) Scrap university fees; colleges helped towards greater financial independence;

ensure proper discipline by giving head teachers and governors control over admissions and expulsions; parents to have right to choose school for their child.

Support commitment to rebuild Iraq; spend [pounds]2.7bn more than Labour on defence by 2007-8;

keep historic battalions; improve supply and procurement of weaponry; back EU co-operation on defence but within Nato and not with European army.

Phase out HFCs; new incentives to make homes more energyefficient; reduce cost of buying fuel-efficient cars; ensure honest food labelling; press for further reform of CAP; negotiate with Brussels to restore national and local control over fishing.

Restore link between rises in state pension and earnings; cut pensioners' council tax bills by up to 50per cent with rebate up to [pounds]500 ceiling; keep all other benefits such as winter fuel allowance/ free TV licences for over-75s.

1500 more police officers in Scotland; appoint UK-wide homeland security minister;

reverse Labour's reclassification of cannabis from class C to B.

Ban Scottish MPs from voting on English-only laws; cut number of Westminster MPs by 20per cent; seek consensus for largely elected House of Lords; offer Wales referendum on its assembly; give Holyrood chance to repeal bill banning foxhunting.

LIBDEM

New 50p tax rate for earners over [pounds]100,000; replace council tax with local income tax; raise stamp duty threshold to [pounds]150,000; independent scrutiny of Budget; reform business rate to help small firms;

ensure statistics body is independent.

Streamline rail system with fewer, larger franchises and longer contracts; reward owners of less polluting cars with lower taxes; reform aviation taxes.

UK should work towards creating economic conditions to join euro subject to referendum; back constitution subject to referendum.

Scrap Child Trust Fund; parents with first child get increased maternity pay for first six months at [pounds]170 per week; scrap Child Support Agency with functions going to Inland Revenue.

Consult with business and public services to agree numbers of work permits for economic migration.

(England only) Free personal care for elderly; scrap charges for eye tests and dental check-ups;

reduce number of people paying prescription charges; recruit more doctors, nurses, and therapists by 2008; abolish targets.

(England only) Abolish student tuition and top-up fees; grants for poorer students; fund 21,000 more teachers; cut infant class sizes to average of 20 and junior ones to average of 25; extend before and after-school provision;

3500 centres by 2010.

Pledge Britain will never again support illegal war; back new Iraqi democracy but pull UK troops out by end of year; cut third tranche of Eurofighter and invest money into ensuring armed forces are well-equipped and trained.

Not replace nuclear power stations as they come to end of lives;

ensure 20per cent of electricty comes from renewable sources by 2020;

press for further reform of CAP;

protect fish stocks; ensure 60per cent of all household waste is recycled by 2012.

Boost state pension by [pounds]100 a month for over-75s; citizen's pension for all over-75s giving women full basic state pension by right irrespective of NI contributions; replacing council tax with local income tax will benefit eight out of 10 pensioners.

In Scotland [pounds]104m to crack down on crime, including 1000 more police officers; scrap ID cards system; concentrate on tackling drug traffickers and users who resort to crime; tough community work rather than jail for non-violent offenders.

Reform House of Lords to become mainly elected; introduce PR; consult with Scottish parliament on how to extend its role;

reform New Deal; introduce Single Equality Act to outlaw all discrimination; remove tariff barriers to fair trade.

SNP

Increase Scotland's annual growth rate to 4per cent; grow population by 3per cent over next decade;

lower corporation tax from 30per cent to 20per cent; replace council tax with local income tax; invest oil revenues in Scottish oil fund to help future generations; reduce business rates to below England's.

Priority for airport rail links;

dualling A9 between Perth and Inverness; bullet train connecting Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Aberdeen.

Against constitution and would scrap European common fisheries policy, replacing it with Scottish-based management system.

Expand nursery education from 11 to 16 hours per week, costing [pounds]80m each year.

Pro-active policy to welcome new Scots and encourage ex-patriates to move back to Scotland;

employment fairs; allow asylum seekers to work.

Boost budget by 200m per year;

train extra 100 doctors each year;

incentives to keep doctors in Scotland after they graduate; keep services local; zero tolerance of superbugs; incentives to keep dentists within NHS.

Reduce class sizes starting with lower primary with maximum of 18; vocational courses in S3 and S4 encouraged; each secondary school to identify specialisation;

protection for Catholic schools;

guarantee of Gaelic medium primay schooling if demand exists.

Opposed Iraq war and insist Scottish parliament should always have final say on military action;

independent Scotland would contribute to peace-keeping; oppose nuclear weapons and membership of Nato; keep regiments.

Invest in renewables, particularly wave, tidal and off-shore wind power; reduce access charges to National Grid; oppose replacement of nuclear power plants;

more recycling facilities; push for CAP reform; promote organic farming; GM crop moratorium.

Citizen's pension of at least [pounds]110 per week for singles and [pounds]168 for couples; end means-testing;

abolish tax relief on pensions to be replaced with state-matched saving scheme; independent review of care home costs, being bound by its findings.

Oppose ID cards and use savings to provide more police; fines according to ability to pay;

improved range of alternatives to custody; new sentencing options, including weekend prisons.

Campaign for independent Scotland; lower voting age to 16; citizens' debates at Holyrood; community councils strengthened with greater responsibilities and budgets.

VERDICT

Economy/city

Key voter issue despite personal attacks and temporary focus on other issues.

Economy regarded as Labour's strongest card and will probably ensure Tony Blair victory on Thursday.

Transport

Hardly spotted on campaign radar. Recent rail improvements have taken sting out of public discontent but issue is slow-burner; road-pricing set to become key issue in decade ahead.

Europe

Unlike last time, Europe has been hardly mentioned in campaign. Tony Blair's effective ruling out of euro membership for next five years and more equivocation on holding referendum on constitution has all but sidelined issue.

Family

Life/work balance issues heading up list of political priorities, hence growing focus by all parties on helping "hard-working families" more. Schoolgate mums being targeted as key voter group.

Immigration/Asylum

Emotive issue which Tories are emphasisng as a strong card on doorstep in Middle Britain.

Conservatives believe this is a vote-winner but opponents accuse them of negativity and pandering to racism.

Health

Always core election issue with local and national focus. Debate on reform in England has crossed border with PM implicitly criticising lack of modernisation in Scotland despite extra cash. MRSA bug new issue.

Education

Labour's mantra of "education, education, education" has not been heard much in this campaign yet schooling is arguably still number one on many voters' priority list. Introduction of tuition fees could hit Labour in university towns.

Iraq/defence

Iraq has been and will be election X-factor, with focus on Mr Blair's trustworthiness following leaking and then publication of Lord Goldsmith's initial legal analysis. Main beneficiariy from anti-war voters likely to be Lib Dems.

Environment

All parties seek to promote themselves as green but environment not headline-grabber in campaign. However, government has indicated it will have to consider building more nuclear plants to meet gas emission targets.

Pensioners

Grey vote being chased by all parties as most likely to turn out. Hence, boosts to pensions and council tax rebates. Council tax is arguably number one bone of contention among over-65s. OAPs could be key to election result.

Law & order/Civil Liberties

Another strong player across all communities, leading to Dutch auction as to who can provide more blue uniforms on street. Terrorist issue flared up following conviction of al Qaeda ricin plotter for murder of Special Branch officer.

Other issues

Other issues have so far failed to capture the media spotlight or enliven the campaign among politicians. One-day wonder was ex-Lab MP Brian Sedgemore's move to Lib Dems.