Ed Miliband Unveils Labour's Election Pledges

Ed Miliband has unveiled Labour's pledges for the General Election, covering the economy, the NHS, immigration and tuition fees.

The Labour leader said the choice for voters is not simply between parties and leaders, but between different visions of the country.

The party's five pledges are:

:: Economy - Labour claims it will balance the books and cut the deficit every year.

:: Living standards - Boosted by Mr Miliband's pledge to freeze energy bills until 2017.

:: NHS - Labour says it will recruit 20,000 more nurses and 8,000 more GPs.

:: Immigration - People who come to the UK will not be able to claim benefits for at least two years.

:: Young people - Tuition fees cut to £6,000, more apprenticeships and smaller class sizes for primary school children.

Speaking to delegates in Birmingham, he said: "Today I urge the British people to choose optimism, to choose a country for the many, to choose the good of all, to choose hope - and to recognise that when working people succeed, nothing can stop us as a country."

Mr Miliband claimed "the Tory experiment" over the past five years had failed, and suggested that working people were £1,600 worse off because of David Cameron's Government.

He added: "We know what their plans mean - it means education cut, the NHS undermined, it means social care devastated, our infrastructure crumbling. Britain cannot afford to take that risk."

To applause from supporters, Mr Miliband also criticised the Prime Minister's decision not to participate in some of the upcoming TV election debates.

It is not the first time Labour has unveiled a pledge card. Tony Blair and John Prescott did so successfully in 1997, winning a landslide general election victory.

But the pledges were very different in 1997. They were: cutting class sizes; quicker punishment for young offenders; cutting NHS waiting lists; getting under-25s off benefits; no rise in income tax.

As Mr Miliband spoke to delegates about the latest pledge card, a group of Conservatives led by former education secretary Michael Gove turned up outside wearing Alex Salmond masks.

The Tories claim a vote for Mr Miliband will result in a coalition between Labour and the SNP.

Mr Gove said: "The worst possible thing will be to have Ed Miliband in Downing Street propped up by Alex Salmond - more spending, more borrowing, more taxing."