British prime minister: 'Moral collapse'

LONDON -- Britain must confront a culture of laziness, irresponsibility and selfishness that fueled four days of riots that left five people dead, thousands facing criminal charges and hundreds of millions in damages, Prime Minister David Cameron acknowledged yesterday.

As rival political leaders staked out their response to the unrest, Cameron pledged to deliver new policies by October aimed at reversing the "slow-motion moral collapse" he blames for the disorder.

"This has been a wake-up call for our country. Social problems that have been festering for decades have exploded in our face," Cameron said in Witney, his parliamentary district in southern England. "Just as people last week wanted criminals robustly confronted on our street, so they want to see these social problems taken on and defeated."

Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said yesterday he was checking whether those involved in the riots should have their welfare payments cut, while London Mayor Boris Johnson said young people convicted in the disorder would lose their right to use public transportation for free.

Cameron pledged to end a culture of timidity in discussing family breakdown or poor parenting, or in criticizing those who fail to set a good example to their children or community.

"We have been too unwilling for too long to talk about what is right and what is wrong," Cameron said. "We have too often avoided saying what needs to be said, about everything from marriage to welfare to common courtesy."

In a rival speech, Labour Party leader Ed Miliband criticized Cameron's response as overly simplistic, and demanded that lawmakers focus on delivering better opportunities for disaffected young people.

"The usual politicians' instinct -- announce a raft of new legislation, appoint a new adviser, wheel out your old prejudices and shallow answers -- will not meet the public's demand," Miliband said.

He spoke at his former high school in Camden, north London, half a block from the scene of rioting Aug. 8.

"Are issues like education and skills, youth services, youth unemployment important for diverting people away from gangs, criminality, the wrong path? Yes, they matter," Miliband said.

The differing approaches to Britain's most serious riots in a generation are likely to dominate the annual political conventions, which begin next month. Miliband has called for a full public inquiry into the roots of the riots, while Cameron insists his government is able to adequately examine the issue.