Michael Howard leaves today's briefing
to Theresa May and David Davis.
Photograph: Graeme Robertson/Getty
Friday, and the Conservatives' David Davis, the shadow home secretary, is back in London from his marginal East Yorkshire seat for a "six-point action plan on crime". And he's unafraid of making it personal, saying: "Let me tell Mr Blair straight. Life in Britain today is very different outside your security bubble."
He goes on: "I would like to hang a placard around his neck with those words that everyone remembers and which propelled him to the leadership of the Labour party – 'tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime'." The Tories dispute yesterday's falling crime figures, saying the reason for less burglaries is more home protection, but violent crime has risen, they say. "Imagine five more years of it. Imagine what our streets will be like in five years' time, with violent crime rising year after year."
There's no Michael Howard today, and perhaps to "soften" Mr Davis' message, he's accompanied by Theresa May, who says the party will reclassify cannabis upwards, and have more school testing for drugs. She's wearing a pair of her famous heels, "kitten" or not I couldn't say.
9am: Mr Davis's six-point plan is as follows: an extra 5,000 police officers each year, scrapping the "stop" form recommended in the wake of the Stephen Lawrence murder for police stops of people on the streets, making police more accountable to local communities, an end to the early release system for prisoners and building an extra 20,000 more prison places.
Theresa May has never inhaled cannabis, while David Davis' favourite drug is adrenalin, the pair tell Sky News. Mr Davis won't make any other "confessions", he says. Both deny they've returned to being "the nasty party" although Mr Davis admits "the language is strong" when challenged on some of his candidates' local campaign literature on asylum and immigration. Mr Davis uses MigrationWatch statistics to challenge the PM's assertion that one cannot calculate the number of illegal immigrants.
9.10am: "We have a long tradition of decentralised [control of] candidates" says Mr Davis, seemingly distancing himself some of the campaign literature, in response to a question from the Independent. The Evening Standard reporter wants to know what Mr Davis thinks of Michael Portillo's comments on the Tory immigration policy – although unfortunately she does not quote what they are. Mr Davis says the coverage of immigration has probably doubled in the wake of the Kamal Bourgass trial result.
A dying cry of "Are you the dream team, you two?" goes unanswered as Ms May and Mr Davis leave the stage.
