LABOUR'S electronic tagging programme - which has let nearly 68,000 prisoners out of jail early since its launch - will be scrapped if the Tories regain power, leader Michael Howard pledged yesterday.

Mr Howard made possibly his most important speech since becoming leader when he visited Middlesbrough yesterday, where he was shown the community wardens scheme introduced by mayor Ray Mallon to assist in his zero tolerance approach to policing.

In a tough speech, borrowed from Mr Mallon's ideas, the Tory leader said: "I have had enough of the culture of political correctness.

"Conservatives will stand up for the silent, law-abiding majority who play by the rules and pay their dues.

"The clear distinction between right and wrong has been lost in sociological mumbo-jumbo and politically-correct nonsense."

He described the tagging scheme, known as Home Detention Curfew, as dangerous, and said: "Labour have downgraded prison as a punishment with the introduction of their early-release scheme."

He pledged that a Conservative government would build more prisons and increase the number of drug rehabilitation places available to prisoners. He defended parents' right to smack their children and called for tougher discipline in school.

Mr Mallon, who has indicated his desire to be a Labour Parliamentary candidate in the future, was equally tough.

He told the community wardens: "I want you to go out there and smash the doors down, tear the door off its hinges if you have to, and bring it back here, and drag the criminal out of his house and bring him back to the police station.

"Do not even think about the Human Rights Act. Let your chief constable do that."

Most controversial of all Mr Howard's announcements was that he would reverse Labour's plans to make the police give a receipt to all people they stop in the street.

Mr Howard's plan was immediately criticised by ethnic minority representatives who feel they can be unfairly targeted by some police officers.

This led the LibDem home affairs spokesman, Mark Oaten, to compare Mr Howard with a famous TV right-wing bigot.

Mr Oaten said: "Michael Howard's Alf Garnett approach to criminal justice policy is more hot air than heavyweight thinking."