Labour ‘still pursuing radical agenda’
The Labour government is pursuing its policy agenda “in a more radical way than we have for ages”, the prime minister has insisted.
Tony Blair rejected claims that the abandonment of police mergers and delays on the ID card scheme represented a “bonfire of U-turns” by ministers.
He was speaking after it emerged that plans to give magistrates greater sentencing powers, introduced to great fanfare three years ago, had been dropped.
The Home Office said there were not enough probation staff to manage the new ‘custody-plus’ arrangement, where offenders could serve some part of their sentence in prison and the rest under careful monitoring arrangements in the community.
The proposals were part of a wider attempt to streamline the criminal justice system, along with new powers for magistrates to hand out tougher sentences, but a spokesman said their abandonment meant all these changes would now be “reviewed”.
Coming in the wake of the home secretary’s decision not to proceed with enforced police mergers and leaked documents suggesting major problems with ID cards, critics have suggested that the government’s entire policy agenda has come off the rails.
However, at his monthly press conference this lunchtime, Mr Blair insisted such suggestions were “absurd”.
“To say that the government’s policy in, for example, pensions, energy, schools, the NHS, and the whole piece of law and order has all been U-turned is ridiculous,” he said.
“I know you want to say the government isn’t moving forward, but it is perfectly obvious that across the piece on policy we are actually moving forward probably in a more radical way than we have for ages.”
He insisted the government was not abandoning plans for a nationwide ID card scheme, saying it was the only way to tackle organised crime and identity fraud.
Mr Blair also made clear that, despite continuing speculation about when he will step down, the government has much to do in the coming months, including the recent shake-up of the criminal justice and immigration systems.
A white paper on local government was expected in the autumn, there would be new proposals on planning and regulation, and he was due to make a key speech on social exclusion policies in September, the prime minister noted.
“There are two elements to this policy agenda – to modernise this country in the face of the rapidly changing world.and to do so on the principles of fairness and social justice, and opening up opportunity for all,” Mr Blair concluded.
“The purpose of these reforms is not just to reform, but to make our society fairer and to make it more equal in the opportunities it gives and ensure people can access the best public services irrespective of their wealth.”
