TONY Blair yesterday dismissed the Bishop of Durham's claims that Britain was becoming a tyranny akin to the nightmare novel 1984, insisting people can say what they think.

Questioned by The Northern Echo at Downing Street, the Prime Minister expressed astonishment that the Right Reverend Tom Wright said he had introduced "thought crimes".

Dr Wright said people were scared to speak out about controversial issues such as homosexuality for fear of investigation by "thought police".

The Bishop's comments compared Britain under Mr Blair to the totalitarian society described by George Orwell in his novel 1984.

At his monthly press conference, Mr Blair joked there was "a time-honoured tradition of the Bishop of Durham speaking out", a reference to David Jenkins, one of Dr Wright's controversial predecessors.

But he said: "Maybe it is because I am Prime Minister, but I notice no shortage of people being able to dissent on whatever basis they want -usually expressed in fairly voluble terms.

"I do not think people feel afraid to speak their minds on various issues.

"What is important, sometimes, is that people take account of the feelings of others when they speak their mind -that is why you have laws on racial pre-judice and so on."