Political parties from all sides today face calls to curb their negative campaigns from the new chief executive of the Electoral Commission.

Speaking to the Guardian, Peter Wardle argues voters will be turned off politics by mud-slinging, "get fed up with the lot of them" and not bother to turn out to vote.

"If you take negative campaigning too far, it starts to have an adverse effect," he said.

Meanwhile, the Mirror reports that Labour strategists are urging the prime minister to call a snap general election.

An election campaign source said: "The timing couldn't be better.

"We're way ahead of the Tories in the polls even after they fired their best weapons on tax, crime and immigration.

"There is pressure to seize the moment."