British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has revealed the Labour Party's election manifesto, with a pledge to protect public services from cuts.
In office since 1997, Labour hopes its manifesto will help the party overturn opinion polls that have consistently put the main opposition Conservatives ahead.
The economy has dominated campaigning so far, with Labour presenting the election as a crossroads between continuing the road to recovery or veering off to financial disaster.
'There are no big new spending commitments, but there is a determination for every penny to be used wisely, and, as present plans make clear, to give the maximum protection to frontline public services,' Mr Brown says in the manifesto.
At the launch in Birmingham, Labour argued that businesses are key to restoring jobs and growth, and promised not to raise the basic rate of income tax.
In addition, it pledges reforms to the voting system and parliament's unelected upper House of Lords following last year's row over lawmakers' expenses.
Meanwhile Conservative leader David Cameron accused Labour of 'sick' tactics and demanded an apology for cancer sufferers after Mr Brown's party sent 250,000 women personalised messages warning that the Tories could scrap their guarantee on how quickly they could see a breast cancer specialist.
Labour insisted the postcards were not specifically targeted at cancer sufferers.
The Tories' manifesto, to be unveiled tomorrow, will include pledges to scrap a planned rise in payroll taxes, give married couples a tax break and introduce a young people's community service programme.
Mr Cameron has said he wants to see a 'great national coming together' to solve Britain's problems and has accused Labour of having 'no new ideas'.
The Liberal Democrats, the third-biggest party, will launch its manifesto on Wednesday.
The rush of manifestos comes in the build-up to Thursday's first ever US-style televised election debate between Mr Brown, Mr Cameron and Liberal Democrats’ leader Nick Clegg.
