Labour have turned to crime seriously for the first time in the election campaign so far (asylum and immigration are promised for later in the week). As usual, the Tories are leafleting outside, offering journalists lists of Labour's "broken promises" on crime, and disputing the government's reliance on the British Crime Survey for official figures.
Tony Blair strides in, clutching his trademark mug of tea. Labour have a ten point crime plan, and the PM begins by praising the police, but admits "it doesn't feel like [crime is falling]." People want an organised, visible police presence on the streets, he says: even if it doesn't always cut crime, it cuts the fear of crime. The ten point plan, all of which appear at first glance to have been in the main manifesto, is as follows: local policing in each community, 20,000 more community support officers, a stronger voice for local communities, a crackdown on replica weapons, naming and shaming convicted hooligans, local people helping decide on community punishments, parish councils issuing on the spot fines for antisocial behaviour, anonymity for witnesses of antisocial behavour, a new national helpline number for antisocial behaviour, and the right to demand ASB action from police and councils.
Charles Clarke, the home secretary, makes the bold claim that Labour will "reduce all crime by a further 15%". Also on the stage are the chancellor, Gordon Brown, and home office minister Hazel Blears, who outlines the measures in the new licencing bill which will tackle alcohol hotspots.
8.45am: In a slightly bizarre change in tone, Mr Brown takes to the podium to denounce Tory spending plans which do not add up – a "black hole" he calls them, having investigated the promises of around 100 individual Tory election candidates who have, he says, made promises not accounted for centrally. It's an impressive-sounding list, but it seems to detract somewhat from the concentrated message on crime, when local bypass promises in the West Country come up.
"On a local level it's spend, spend, spend," says Mr Brown, adding – almost wistfully – that Mrs Thatcher would never have endorsed such a plan. "These local spending plans are reckless," he adds.
Andrew Marr asks the PM "philosophically" why he thinks violent crime continues to rise in British society. Mr Blair does not venture into philosophy, but quotes the British Crime Survey statistics. He does muse that in the films of the 1950s, organised criminals had "a code".
"I have two gut feelings on this, maybe appropriate for a man who has a gut the size of mine," jokes Mr Clarke, saying violent crime is definitely going down, but that local communities are more afraid. He talks of "the policing family".
Unfortunately, the clock is ticking, and I now have to go to the Tory press conference ...
