1960s liberal consensus on crime to be rejected

Tony Blair is to confront Labour's past today by demanding the end of the Sixties liberal consensus on law and order.

Tony Blair is to confront Labour's past today by demanding the end of the Sixties liberal consensus on law and order.

Mr Blair will say the Sixties social revolution, widely seen as engineered by his mentor Roy Jenkins when he was Home Secretary, brought a breakthrough in terms of freedom of expression and lifestyle, as well as tackling discrimination.

But he will say the decade has left a remaining downside in criminal justice, with attention still focused on offenders' rather than victims' rights. "People don't want a return to old prejudices and ugly discrimination, but they do want rules, order and proper behaviour," the Prime Minister will say. "They know there is such a thing as society. They want a society of respect, they want a society of responsibility."

Mr Blair will make his comments as he joins David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, to launch the Government's five-year plan for tackling crime and antisocial behaviour. It will seek to cut the numbers of offences by 15 per cent over the next three years. However, the Home Office's annual statistics, to be released on Thursday, will show a continuing increase in violent crime. Many Labour MPs now consider tackling anti-social behaviour their top issue.