‘Respect Tsar’ Is No 10’s Favourite To Take Over Youth Justice Board

Downing Street is pushing for Louise Casey, Tony Blair’s “respect tsar”, to take over the job of chair of the youth justice board left vacant last month by the resignation of Rod Morgan.

Tony Blair is believed to be keen that Ms Casey take over the £85,000 a year, three-day-a-week job – to secure both her future, and the drive to tackle anti-social behaviour after Mr Blair leaves Downing Street. Ms Casey caused outrage 18 months ago when she praised binge drinking, threatened to “deck” Downing Street officials, and boasted how she liked to get “hammered” in an after-dinner speech to police chiefs.

The prime minister not only ensured her survival but promoted her to head the cross-government Respect task force, reporting directly to him and the home secretary. Although, as “respect tsar”, Ms Casey is based in the Home Office, she has made clear she reports directly to Mr Blair, and it is thought she would be amongst early casualties of his departure.

Her appointment is likely to polarise opinion amongst those tackling juvenile crime. The job advert which appeared over the weekend describes the role as “pivotal in the youth justice arena nationally” and needing “an engaging and diplomatic style”.

One youth justice board insider said that many in the field had been distinctly unimpressed with her “combative and uncompromising style” and doubted she could engage with those who took an alternative approach. He said she was widely seen as someone with a “slap an Asbo on ’em” approach to youth crime, who had rather late in the day turned to tackling problems around parenting: “She will look like the iron fist in a velvet glove.”

Her Blairite approach would be in sharp contrast to Prof Morgan. He resigned two weeks ago when he learned his job was to be advertised despite the fact that he believed Home Office ministers had promised him a further three year term when appointed in 2004.

Prof Morgan, who had not met John Reid since he began as home secretary last May, made a scathing attack on criminal justice policies, which he said had swamped youth courts and children’s prisons with minor offenders; he warned Home Office ministers that building ever more prisons was “the counsel of despair”, and criticised demonisation of teenagers as “yobs”. The chief prisons inspector, Anne Owers, in a report today, highlights the lack of an effective strategy for male offenders aged 18 to 21.