The government is to launch another attempt to make incitement to religious hatred a criminal offence, David Blunkett will announce today.

The move was twice voted down by the House of Lords in December 2001, when the home secretary tried to incorporate it into his emergency anti-terrorism legislation following September 11.

"This will help tackle extremists who use religion to stir up hatred in our society, including religious extremists who preach hate against other religions," the home secretary is expected to tell a seminar organised by the Institute for Public Policy Research today.