The Tánaiste and Labour leader has said the party is ready for the general election and has a good story to tell.

Joan Burton is preparing for the party's annual conference in Mullingar today - the last of the partys to hold such an event before the election is called next week.

Last night Labour announced its tax plans - with PRSI cuts for those earning up to 36,000 euro and abolishing USC for those earning up to 72,000.

The Labour leader has said she believes voters will support the party when they see what the alternatives are: “Increasingly I think people are saying to me, look you have actually done a good job, we want to see the recovery continue.

“We want to see more employment and more investment in health and in education, in services and in our public transport network.”