The Liberal Democrats launched their pre-manifesto this morning, after postponing it last week due to events in the middle-east. The announcement of Kate and William’s baby won’t have helped matters this morning, but those I doubt the coverage would have been so much more noticeable without it.

The document is split up into eight sections:

• Responsible Finances
• Balancing the budget
• Green Britain Guarantee
• Family Finances
• An Opportunity Society
• A Better Place to Live
• Secure Communities
• Power to the People
• Britain in the World

Within the sections include announcements that were trailed in recent weeks: decriminalisation, bus travel for younger citizens and safe standing in football stadiums. Much is made too of extending the party’s current record in government.

Following the launch, David Laws (leading the manifesto process) spoke to the BBC’s Daily Politics show, outlining that the manifesto’s pledges would be ‘considerably less expensive’ than in 2010. The manifesto working committee has included members of the party more associated with the ‘orange book’, and those who are affiliated with the Social Liberal Forum. The results of this process will be seen at party conference and in the run-up to the election.