Liverpool has been in the political limelightas Prime Minister Gordon Brown chaired the first-ever Cabinet meeting in the city.
Mr Brown and his colleagues spent a day in the city on their tour of the English regions and Wales to underline the government's robust response to the recession.
Urban regeneration and capital spending programmes are on the agenda and ministers are carrying out a series of fact-finding and "listening" site visits.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith started the day with a visit to a Neighbourhood Policing Team at the Picton Health Centre in Earle Road, Wavertree.
the visit was billed as Mrs Smith witnessing first hand the impact of neighbourhood policing and the growing involvement of communities in the fight against crime.
She joined a meeting between the police and local residents discussing policing priorities for the area.
The Home Secretary also witnessed Merseyside Chief Constable Bernard Hogan-Howe and Chair of Merseyside Police Authority Bill Weightman unveil the national policing pledge which the force has been delivering for the people of Merseyside.
The Government is keen to show it is taking action to fight the downturn and protect jobs.
Business Secretary Lord Mandelson announced a �35m start-up programme for the North West region to help get new companies off the ground.
He was telling a business meeting in Salford: "We cannot and must not fail now to invest in our future.
"We will not repeat the mistakes made in previous recessions of retrenchment
"Otherwise we will not take advantage of the upturn or secure Britain's long-term competitiveness.
"We will not repeat the mistakes made in previous recessions of retrenchment - stop-go policies in public investment have reduced Britain's competitiveness over many decades."
The Prime Minister, Culture Secretary Andy Burnham and North West Minister Beverley Hughes, took a boat ride around The Albert Dock tourist area.
Mr Brown was also shown around the construction site of the �300m Museum of Liverpool, which is due to open in 2010.
Chancellor Alistair Darling held a breakfast meeting with regional business leaders in Liverpool, as Mr Brown toured the city's regenerated docks area.
Representatives from the Jaguar Land Rover car plant were among those at the meeting hosted by the chancellor at the Malmaison Hotel.
The Chancellor was asked to support a campaign calling on the government to provide a short-term loan or provide loan guarantees to the car maker, which employs 2,200 in Merseyside and 13,000 in the West Midlands.
Mr Darling said: "The car industry, Jaguar, GM, are very important to the North West, to the whole country.
"We are in constant touch with the industry, we will do whatever we can to support it."
He said he would do "whatever necessary" to get banks lending again adding: "We do face difficult times but what is encouraging is that governments across the world are showing they are prepared to take action to help people."
The Liverpool City Region tour is one of several trips the Prime Minister has been leading around the British provinces in recent months.
Last year The Cabinet met in Birmingham and Leeds but before that the last time it had met outside London or Chequers was 1921.
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