Introduction: Tougher than the rest?

Crime and crime control have been pivotal to the New Labour project from the outset. The ‘Blair effect’ on crime policy began not in 1997 when Tony Blair became Prime Minister, nor with his 1994 election to the Labour Party leadership, but in 1992 when John Smith appointed him Shadow Home Secretary.

The significance of Blair's impact can only be appreciated in the longterm context of the post-Second World War politics of law and order. Crime had not been a partisan political issue until the early 1970s, although specific aspects, notably capital punishment, were always controversial. The politicisation of law and order became marked during the late 1970s, in the run-up to Margaret Thatcher's 1979 general election victory. Her sharp attacks on Labour's alleged ‘softness’ in relation to crime and disorder gained a huge electoral dividend: opinion polls show that no other policy put Labour so far behind the Conservatives.

In the late 1980s hints emerged of a cooling of partisan conflict about crime, as both parties sought to develop more pragmatic policies. Labour realised that some of their traditional approaches (such as commitment to a strong civil libertarian stance, and to addressing the deep causes of crime) were electoral liabilities despite their intrinsic merits. For their part the Conservatives – embarrassed by unprecedented increases in crime and disorder – explored more effective crime prevention policies, rather than just ratcheting up police resources and punishment.