Lib Dems To Demand Extra £8bn A Year For NHS

The Liberal Democrats will demand an extra £8bn a year for the NHS and that maximum waiting times are imposed for mental health services as their latest red line for entering any coalition.

Nick Clegg will tell activists today that the "NHS doesn't need warm words, it needs hard cash".

He will add: "If you love the NHS so much, put your money where your heart is."

:: Full Coverage Of General Election 2015

That is a challenge to the Conservatives and Labour to match what the Liberal Democrats say is their "fully costed" plan to deliver the £8bn a year that the chief executive of the NHS says is needed.

They say the Tories have failed to set out how they would meet the funding gap and Labour's plans fall short by billions of pounds.

Issuing his fourth red line, Mr Clegg will say: "We won't join a government that refuses to commit to giving the NHS the money it needs or set out how it will pay for it."

The Liberal Democrat leader insists he wants to be unambiguous about his top priorities so anyone who votes for the party knows which issues it will not budge on.

Earlier in the week he issued red lines to protect education spending, to ensure a "stability budget" is brought in in the first 50 days of the next government and to guarantee that the personal tax allowance is raised to £12,500.

The Liberal Democrats say they will pay for increased NHS funding in part through changes to the tax system and once the books are balanced in 2017/18 through growth.