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Children whose family circumstances make it likely for them to grow up to be a “menace to society” should get “pre-birth” intervention, the prime minister has suggested. Blair’s comments, in a BBC interview yesterday, come ahead of a government social exclusion action plan, due out within the next fortnight, which is expected to flesh out the idea.

He said: “If we are not prepared to predict and intervene far more early then there are children who are growing up – in families which we know are dysfunctional – and the kids a few years down the line are going to be a menace to society and actually a threat to themselves.” Earlier this week, Blair held a summit with social exclusion minister Hilary Armstrong, children’s minister Beverley Hughes and representatives from charities including Turning Point and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. The discussions centred on how to deal with hard-to-reach groups.