Labour: Focusing on urban renewal

Tony Blair has highlighted Labour's record on delivering urban regeneration.

Labour has published a report on the economic regeneration of cities, which sets out progress made in major urban areas in Britain.

John Prescott joined the prime minister at the Monday morning press conference to praise the "steady transformation" of urban Britain.

"In the 1980s, many of Britain's cities were in decline," said deputy prime minister.

"But go to any of the big cities in Britain today and you cannot fail to notice the steady transformation that is taking place and the confidence that brings to the towns, cities and regions of our country."

Gordon Brown also flagged up Labour's economic record.

"While Labour will lock in stability that is the top priority of business, the reckless and irresponsible Conservative proposals - that Mrs Thatcher would never have countenanced and that as shadow chancellor I could never endorse - would put stability at risk," said the chancellor.

Risk

Blair was also on the offensive. He described Tory plans for the economy as a "threat to stability, jobs and mortgages".

He said economic stability had been hard won and the Conservative economic plan "has been exposed as a risk".

And Blair described the choice for the country as a simple one - between an economy that had delivered low inflation, low interest rates and a rising number of jobs, and a "Conservative economy plan that is a threat to that stability, a threat to jobs and a threat to mortgages".

The Conservatives had "nothing substantial" to offer on the economy, and Labour had become the party of economic competence, he added.

Blair highlighted new businesses and increased employment opportunities under Labour, but acknowledged there were still problems in certain areas.