Having faced a lot of criticism, it looks like Labour is doubling down, says political correspondent Ali Fortescue. 

She has been giving her first reaction on Sky News to the party’s latest attack ad, which accuses the prime minister of not wanting adults convicted of possessing a gun with intent to harm to go to prison:

It’s more of the same, really. 

They really think that this is an effective tactic, that outrage is a price worth paying to land the message.

We know that Labour want to be seen as the party of law and order, and want to suggest that the Conservatives are soft on crime.

They have faced a huge amount of criticism this morning, including from Labour figures.

Mainly Corbynites; Diane Abbott calling it “horrible” on Twitter, John McDonnell, the former shadow chancellor, saying that Labour is better than this.

Even a figure like Lucy Powell, who is on the current frontbench, struggled to defend it in an interview this morning.

She said, “it won’t be to everyone’s taste,” and wouldn’t explicitly say that she agreed with the tweet, but obviously this is a tactic that Labour think is going to be effective.

There have also been comparisons with Boris Johnson.

You’ll remember his claims in the House of Commons that Sir Keir Starmer was in some way linked to the failure to prosecute Jimmy Savile.

That was obviously widely criticised by Labour at the time. Uncomfortable comparisons are being made.

It would be fascinating to know who is advising Labour, but obviously the party thinks that this is something that is going to chime with voters, and by talking about it, they’re going to get the message across.

There are definitely, I think, ethical and factual questions over certainly the first tweet, not least the fact that Rishi Sunak wasn’t actually an MP in 2010, which is when these figures date back to.

Rishi Sunak wasn’t actually in parliament until several years later, but we are seeing these dirty tactics being used by Labour.

It is not uncommon to see tactics like this.

This is, in a sense, the cut and thrust of politics, but something that Labour have gone too far on.

And obviously, this gives you a sense of the tone that we could see hardening in the build up to a general election.