Alan Milburn has insisted Labour will fight a positive election campaign despite claiming the Tories are poised to mount the "most negative campaign ever seen in this country".

"It is important we all understand the game being played by the Conservatives and their media supporters," he said in a statement.

The Guardian also reports that the Labour Party has accused "the Tories and the Daily Mail brigade" of seeking to close down legitimate debate during the election campaign.

As the expected election date of May 5 draws closer, both sides have been criticised for exploiting new freedom of information laws to dig both personal and policy dirt on each other.

In an interview with today's Independent, Sir Alistair Graham, the chairman of the committee on standards in public life, calls on all parties to "tell the truth as it is".

The Independent also reports on a race row over a poster detailing Tory immigration policy which was placed outside an Islington sixth-form college.