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UK General Election 2015: 5 things you need to know ahead of the general election, UK general election opinion poll,UK election 2015 updates, United Kingdom General Election updates, UK political News 2014 2015

UK General Election 2015: 5 things you need to know ahead of the general election

There may still be more than four months left until the 2015 general election but like it or not, the campaigning is already well underway. From now until 7 May the major parties will be repeating the same messages again and again to win your vote. None of them have published their manifestos yet but we already have a good idea of what their pitch to the public will be.

Here are five things to you need to know.

1. The Conservatives and the two E's

They stand for the economy and Ed Miliband and they're the two things the Tories will keep bringing up between now and polling day. The UK's financial problems are far from over. The deficit - the gap between what the country spends and what it earns in taxes - is still tens of billions of pounds, so more tough decisions on cuts and spending will need to be made in 2015.

The Conservatives argue the country is slowly recovering and voters shouldn't trust the other parties to finish the job. The Tories also see Ed Miliband as an advantage for them. Polls suggest the Labour leader is struggling to convince voters he'd make a good Prime Minister. Expect to hear the Conservatives repeat a message that any vote against them is a step toward putting Ed Miliband in 10 Downing Street.

2. Labour will keep talking about the NHS

No surprises here. It's been a key issue for Labour voters for decades and the party has no plans to change tactics in 2015. With public money still tight for the years ahead, Labour claim the health service is at risk of cuts that will increase waiting times and staffing levels.

They're calling 2015 a campaign to "save" the health service. Ed Miliband will also claim the economic recovery has only benefitted the rich but not "working people".

3. The Liberal Democrats are hoping for another coalition

Their popularity may have taken a hammering since they agreed to join the Conservatives in government but there's a decent chance they could stick around in power until 2020. If the election turns out to be as close as many think then another coalition is likely and the Liberal Democrats will hope to play a key role again.

They've already proved they can work with the Conservatives and it's likely they would also sign up to a deal to work with Labour. Their big challenge is to keep enough of their MPs in May to make sure they still have some influence.

4. Scotland will be crucial

Scottish voters may have voted to stay in the United Kingdom last September but since then the popularity of the Scottish National Party has rocketed.

The party has tens of thousands of new members and is hoping to pick up plenty of new MPs in May.

This a big threat to Labour's chances of victory. To win the election, it's likely Ed Miliband's party will need to hang on to dozens of seats in Scotland. Scottish Labour will hope its new leader, Jim Murphy, will help reverse their decline in support.

5. UKIP are a threat to both major parties

There's no doubt 2014 was a great year for Nigel Farage and his UK Independence Party. Victory in the European elections and the election of their first MPs mean the anti-EU party has high hopes for 2015.

Their biggest role is likely to be how many voters they manage to pinch from both the Conservatives and Labour across the UK.

They've already proved they can win in Conservative areas after by-election victories in Clacton and then Rochester and Strood.

But if you think they've not also got Labour worried, think again.

Back in October, UKIP gave Ed Miliband a big fright when they came within a few hundred votes of winning the Heywood and Middleton by-election.  It proved the party is growing in popularity in the north of England where Labour will depend on votes.

src:bbc.co.uk

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