The reason for Gordon Brown's surprise appearance on Labour's crime campaign podium, and the overlapping timings of the two press conferences, becomes clear – the Conservatives are revealing the latest segment of their tax-cutting agenda, with a pledge to raise the stamp duty threshold to £250,000, which would mean, they claim, that the average homebuyer would pay no stamp duty at all, saving themselves about £1,800. It will free half a million homebuyers a year from stamp duty, they say, and indeed, average houses in every region in Scotland (where the Tories are fighting to hang on to their one Westminster seat) will be free of stamp duty.
From memory, Mr Brown promised in his March budget to double the existing stamp duty threshold to £120,000, while the Lib Dems are promising to raise it to £150,000.
Meanwhile, the Tories appear to have delayed the 9am start of their press conference as the Labour one continues next door – I'm now watching Labour on a TV screen at Tory HQ.
9.25am: Twenty five minutes late, Mr Howard strides onto the stage, saying that two weeks today the British public will be "grabbing that stubby little pencil" to give their judgment on the government's record.
"Someone once said that Mr Blair 'stole all the Tory's best ideas' " jokes Mr Howard. "Not anymore – he can't afford to." This is lower taxes for families across the generations, says the Tory leader, pointing out that on top of today's genuinely new stamp duty announcement, they are already promising a 10p in the pound tax credit for people saving for their pensions, and a maximum of £500 in council tax rebates for pensioners. This is all on top of yesterday's announcement that the Tories would abolish what they call the "stealth tax" of this year's forthcoming council tax revaluation.
9.35am: "Won't this policy encourage house price inflation?" asks Sky News. This policy is not aimed at the housing market, says Oliver Letwin, the shadow chancellor, who is also on stage with Mr Howard. The Tory leader dismisses Mr Brown's attack this morning, saying the Tory local candidates are going to be "effective local champions", but the only commitments the Tories are making are in their manifesto. Mr Letwin reinforces his reputation for slight geekiness in parrying a question about the Halifax building society questioning Tory council tax figures. He points out that there is a difference between a table comparing the ratio of indices, and a ratio of absolute differentials.
9.45am: The BBC asks rather tellingly if the campaign so far hasn't been "a negotiation between accountants rather than a battle of ideas". The Tory leader disagrees. Mr Howard also rejects a question about the opinion polls, saying: "I'll do a deal with the other parties – I'll give them every poll between now and the election, as long as I win the poll on May 5."
"Are you a small government party or a big government party?" asks ITN. "We're a smaller government party" replies Mr Howard, in the final question of the day.
