Michael Howard has attacked the "ban it" approach adopted by the government on a range of key issues.

In a speech to the World's Association of Newspapers in London, the Conservative leader insisted that members of the public must have the freedom to make their own choices.

His comments came after moves to tighten the law on smacking, ban fox hunting and prohibit smoking in a range of enclosed public spaces.

"As the power of the state grows, the freedom of the individual shrinks," he warned.

"I believe that people should be free to decide how to live their lives – they should not be dictated to by the state.

"Government should be accountable to the people, not people to government.

"Only where there is the clearest possible justification should government interfere with our freedoms."

Mentality

Howard added that self-regulation has an "important part" to play in meeting key goals.

"We need to resist the urge to ban things just because we personally don't agree with them," he said.

"The 'ban it' mentality strikes at the very heart of the principles underlying liberal democracies - that people should have the freedom to make their own choices."

And the Tory chief said that personal freedom "is worth fighting for".

He said that "if you trust people to get on in life and get on with their lives, there's no limit to what they will achieve".

"All we have to do is trust people - to set them free to fulfil their potential.

"That is a noble ambition for any government. It is an ambition that would top the agenda of any government I lead."