DAVID CAMERON Conservative

This is the day of the biggest election in decades and, right across the East Midlands, people are desperate for change. They're fed up of feeling let down by politicians. They're angry that the big issues they face haven't been addressed. Unemployment here has doubled since the start of the recession; manufacturing jobs are down by more than a third since Labour came to power; and now with the news that Celanese Acetate is shutting its Spondon plant, things could get even worse.

But it doesn't have to be like this. We can sort out this mess. But first, we need a strong Conservative government to get the economy moving. Vote for any other party and you could end up with a hung parliament. And ask yourself, with all that horse-trading and haggling, will a hung parliament take the decisive action we need?

If I become Prime Minister, I will make it my mission to build a new, pro-enterprise, pro-innovation, pro-engineering economy. A big part of that is about rebuilding our manufacturing base in the East Midlands. A staggering 162,000 manufacturing jobs have been lost here since 1997 and British manufacturing has declined at its fastest rate ever under this government. I'm in touch with Sir John Rose, of Rolls Royce, about how we can turn things around.

I believe we need to start by doing three key things.

First, we've got to stop Labour's jobs tax from killing the recovery. Labour's plan to hike up National Insurance is only going to put even more pressure on manufacturers. We've got to stop it – and more than 60 business people in the East Midlands have signed a letter saying they agree. Plant engineers, tech companies and stainless steel firms are all among the many Midlands businesses who say this jobs tax would wreck the recovery. So we will block most of this tax rise by cutting Labour's waste in government.

Second, we need to make it easier to start up new manufacturing companies. A Conservative government would lower rates of corporation tax for all companies. And by abolishing employment taxes on the first 10 jobs any new business creates in its first year, we can give a big boost to any new manufacturing enterprise.

And third, we've got to train people for this economy of the future and give them new skills. Part of that is about increasing the number of apprenticeships – so we will create around 17,000 new apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships in the East Midlands and around 9,000 new training places. But we also need to raise school standards – and our plan to attract top science and engineering graduates into teaching by paying off their student loans will mean our children get a much more competitive range of skills.

I know that people here are angry at the way things have turned out after 13 years of Labour. But things can be different. We can get the Midlands moving. We can get Britain working. And the policies I've set out here are just the start of the change a Conservative government would bring. We have the belief, the grit and the determination to do this.

Vote Conservative today and together we can get the job done.

NICK CLEGG Liberal Democrats

Today people in Derby, and across Britain, have a huge opportunity. We can say no to the old, failed way of doing things; no to the same old parties who have been taking their turns in government for 65 years; no to more unfairness in our society; and yes to a different, better future. Derby is one of those places where people's votes are really going to count this time.

I am asking you to go to the ballot box today and put your cross by the Liberal Democrats, because we are the only party that has a programme for change that will really help people here. You don't have to settle for more failure from this tired Labour Government and you don't have to settle for a Conservative party whose priority is tax cuts for millionaires. You can choose a party that will deliver fairness.

Starting with tax. Liberal Democrats will close the outrageous loopholes at the top so that the wealthy pay their fair share. That way we cut income tax so you don't pay a penny on the first £10,000 you earn, freeing millions of people from income tax altogether, while everyone else gets £700 back.

Next, we'll invest in our schools, because education is everything when it comes to opening up opportunity. Everyone knows that the public finances are not in a good state, but by making cuts elsewhere in government, like scrapping ID cards and biometric passports, we can provide extra money for schools – nearly £17m in Derby. By cutting class sizes and providing more one-to-one tuition, we'll make sure no child is left behind.

The Liberal Democrats will put manufacturing cities like Derby at the heart of a new, green economy. For too long Labour and the Conservatives have been in hock to casino bankers in the City of London. Vince Cable and I will break up our big banks so they can never again hold a gun up to the whole economy. Rather than pin all our hopes on a return of financial wizardry in our banks, we'll use Britain's talent for building and making things again. From the savings we'll make in government, we'll put £3.1bn into a jobs and infrastructure package, investing in new, green technologies like renewable energy. We're also planning the biggest expansion of the rail industry since Victorian times, by diverting £3bn from roads to rail. Aside from giving the rail industry a boost, we'll be able to open new lines, like linking the Midland Mainline to the Birmingham-Derby line, for instance.

And Liberal Democrats will build a new politics to go with that new economy. Today we can draw a line under what has been the most corrupt Parliament in living memory, but only if we elect MPs who won't take you for granted again. Our candidates, like Lucy Care in Derby North, want to get into Parliament to get more power handed back to you over the decisions that affect your neighbourhoods, like local planning. And Liberal Democrats will clean up Westminster by ending the influence of big money too.

Today is our chance for change and for fairness, but it's only going to happen if you make it happen. You can make the difference today. Give the Liberal Democrats your support, and we can start making a difference tomorrow.

GORDON BROWN Labour

On polling day I want readers of the Derby Telegraph to know one thing – I have never stopped fighting for your families, your schools, your NHS and your jobs.

Because this is no ordinary election. There's a massive choice ahead of us. Do we stay on the road to recovery with Labour, taking action to reduce the deficit but protecting our frontline public services and continuing our help for families and businesses?

Or do we throw all that away with a Conservative party that wants to take billions out of the economy, that would slash tax credits for middle-income families and drag us back into recession? The recovery under Labour will be based on fairness. But how is it fair to scrap Labour's cancer guarantee, that you will see a cancer specialist within two weeks and get results back in one week?

Fairness means protecting the Child Tax Credits, which benefit 17,000 families in Derby, and the Child Trust Fund, which is building a nest egg for 16,000 kids here.

It means protecting and building on the 54 Sure Start children's centres in Derbyshire, which have become so valuable to 40,000 families.

The Tories want to roll back Sure Start and would cut tax credits for thousands of families. The Liberal Democrats also want to cut tax credits and they want to shut the Trust Fund altogether. It's a risk that people in Derby can't afford.

It's true that we share some values with the Lib Dems. Yet their policies on the economy and an amnesty for illegal immigrants are not serious.

I know the last 18 months have been tough for people but I got the big calls right on rescuing the banks, when the Tories got them wrong every time. We supported investment in manufacturing and guaranteed apprenticeship opportunities for every young person.

But the Tories want to give a corporation tax break to the banks and an inheritance tax cut for the wealthiest estates.

They say they have changed but the Tories would introduce "DIY public services" and their priority is to bring back fox hunting. They are threatening an "emergency budget" that would hit schools budgets and police numbers. Labour is the only party pledged to protect frontline policing. And in Derbyshire, residents can also see offenders paying back for their crimes by performing community work under the Community Payback scheme.

But the Tories want to take a risk with crime, which has fallen even during the recession. Their cuts would threaten the community policing team in your community and others like it.

We will continue our tough action on crime and anti-social behaviour, giving you the power to take an injunction against the perpetrators. But the Tories want to remove people's DNA profiles from the database, restricting the police's ability to solve crimes.

And we will change our politics with a referendum on a fairer voting system for the Commons and an elected House of Lords.

So a Labour government will always be on your side. But with the Tories you are on your own.We can't afford to a return to the recessions of the 80s and 90s, where a Conservative government condemned the East Midlands to years of high unemployment.

That's why I'm fighting for every family in the Derby area, to build a secure and sustainable recovery, to protect your services and tax credits. To win for you, a future fair for all.