Labour's press conference this morning – brought forward to 9.15am from their usual 9.45am slot in a seeming bid to clash with the Tories, who have shifted their 8.45am meeting back to 9.45am (keep up at the back) – is on support for families, with Alan Milburn, Ruth Kelly and Douglas Alexander. In an attempt to cover both, I've got the "prime seat" at Labour. Not centre stage, but nearest the exit.
As usual, the Tories have their two Groundhog Day volunteers manning the entrance to Labour's campaign HQ, telling reporters "You've heard it all before," and handing out a list entitled "Families: Let Down By Labour", which claims, for example, that a parents helpline to be trumpeted by Labour today was first announced by Labour in 2003, and will not be operational until 2008.
9.20am: Ms Kelly explains Labour's policy, while Mr Alexander is here to attack the Tories' "pupil's passport", and Mr Milburn announces that Tony Blair and Gordon Brown have already met "school gate mums" this morning.
Labour are calling the Tory proposal for a pupil's passport "more extreme than Thatcher", quoting an Oliver Letwin fringe speech from 2002 saying the former Tory PM never dared "set schools free" in the way their new policy does.
Mr Milburn accuses Michael Howard of "panicking and making policy on the hoof" in reaction to today's Tory announcement that they will scrap this year's council tax revaluation.
9.30am: As the Tories predicted, Ms Kelly does announce "Parents Direct – a sort of NHS Direct for parents". She goes on to announce "concentrated catch-up help" for struggling youngsters, and at the other end of the spectrum, a programme for gifted children. Mr Alexander says the cost of the pupil's passport will be £2bn, made up of £1bn in "deadweight costs" for subsidising parents who already send their children to private schools, and a further £1bn for those who would take up the offer of £5,500 – the money that is currently spent per pupil in state education.
Sky asks why, if Labour's mantra is "choice", they object to parents sending their children to private school?
Challenged on the Lib Dem claim that Labour itself might use the Lyons review to bring in a local income tax, Mr Milburn promises they will not do that "wholesale".
9.40am: Mr Milburn stumbles, though, when he says that council tax is at its lowest level in 11 years – heckled by journalists, he corrects himself to "the lowest increases in 11 years". Mr Alexander calls the Tory pupils' passport policy "not excellence for the public sector, but exit from the public sector".
But as questioning continues, the Tory press conference next door beckons ...
