New Labour ended some time ago, but on crime, it lives on

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

There’s been talk in recent days of the party abandoning the final traces of “New Labour” (in email form at least). That Ed Miliband wants to consign New Labour to history’s dustbin is hardly newsworthy. Last summer his attempts to disassociate himself with some aspects of its legacy drew the ire of Peter Mandelson.

Of course New Labour couldn’t have survived whoever won the leadership election. By the end of the contest each candidate talked of it in the past tense. The electoral prospects – either within the party or within the country – for a continuity New Labour weren’t good. That brand had taken us to record victories, but had in the end also seen us plummet to terrifying lows. New Labour ended some time ago. But that doesn’t mean that aspects of don’t still live on, as Ed Miliband’s article in the Sun today showed.

“Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime” may have begun as a soundbite, but has now evolved into an unquestioned mantra within the party. Whilst much of the New Labour agenda has been dropped – either quietly or very publicly – this mantra (or at least the first half), is now part of the DNA of the party.

Anyone who has spent time knocking on doors and speaking to voters knows what a big issue crime (and especially anti-social behaviour) is on the doorstep. It crosses class, gender, race and geography. If people don’t feel safe in their homes and communities then that’s their over-riding priority. It trumps almost all other concerns. The fear of crime and the desire for more police officers and a tough approach to crime is most keenly felt amongst what we might call Labour’s “core vote”. If we are to properly represent those that the Labour Party was founded to work with and for, then a firm tone on crime is crucial.

That’s not to say that I’m entirely comfortable with Miliband’s article. It risks weakening further a cabinet member (Ken Clarke) who could bring about prison and sentencing reform that many in the Labour Party would be happy with.

The choice of paper too is galling too, less than two years after the Sun hung Gordon Brown and the party out to dry at conference, even going as far as to drive adverts up and down the seafront trumpeting their endorsement of the Tories. That still leaves a bitter taste in many members’ mouths.

What is most pleasing though, is that although Miliband strikes a firm tone, he doesn’t pander to the preconceived notions of what a Sun reader wants to hear. He even reiterates his support for community sentences – something you’d be much more likely to read in the Guardian or the Independent.

In the past the party has too often found itself triangulating on issues such as crime and justice. Now at least the policy seems clear. There is no neccessary contrast between being tough on crime and community sentencing. The need to maintain police numbers and ensure that crime and anti-social behaviour are tackled isn’t in dispute.

That’s a legacy of the New Labour years, but it needn’t be something that Ed Miliband and his new generation turn their backs on.