Hundreds of donors turn their backs on the Tories during election campaign

Tories: We welcome defence boost but growth has flatlined

A shadow Treasury minister says he welcomes the chancellor's £2.2bn boost to defence spending, but adds, "to invest in defence you've got to have a strong economy as well" and that "growth has flatlined". James Wild says, "the threats that we as a country are facing are increasing and we need to step up with our allies to deal with those". Report by Brooksl. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn

Tories defend local record ahead of elections

Conservative co-chairman Nigel Huddleston says the party has a strong track record of delivering value for money through better services at lower costs. He praised local Tory councillors for their commitment to community issues like road maintenance and social care, while downplaying defections as a normal part of politics. Report by Covellm. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn

Tories: Labour needs to be tougher on welfare reform

The Conservatives have branded the Government’s welfare reforms as too little, too late, with Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall being urged to be tougher. Shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately told the Commons: "The fact is £5 billion just doesn’t cut it. With a bill so big, going up so fast, she needed to be tougher." Report by Covellm. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn

Tories seek to ban 'disruptive' phones in school classrooms

The shadow education secretary says schools "desperately" need to ban pupils from using phones during the school day. Neil O'Brien adds that phones cause "a huge amount of disruption in class, lower educational standards and it's also bad for kids' mental health". The government has so far resisted calls from the Conservative Party to ban the devices. Report by Brooksl. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn