LONDON — Britain is in the middle of a “slow-motion moral collapse” that must be reversed if the country is to avoid a repeat of last week’s riots across England, Prime Minister David Cameron said Monday as he promised tough new measures to crack down on lawlessness and to promote a responsible society.
But the opposition Labor Party warned against “knee-jerk” policies incapable of striking at the causes of the looting and violence, in a sign that the political unanimity seen in the riots’ immediate aftermath is fraying as leaders grope for the best way to respond to what happened.
Cameron identified a culture of selfish indifference and greed behind last week’s rampages throughout London and other major cities in England that killed five people and caused more than $300 million in damage over four days.
He said he would direct his entire Cabinet to look for ways to combat a “broken society” in which fathers had abdicated responsibility for their children, schools had given up on discipline and crimes had gone unpunished.
“Our security fight-back must be matched by a social fight-back,” Cameron said, pledging to create “stronger families, stronger communities and a stronger society.”
The British’s leader’s speech at a youth club Monday in his affluent rural parliamentary district was short on specifics. But one Cabinet minister said the Conservative-led government was looking at taking away welfare and other social benefits from anyone convicted in the riots, even if the person is not actually sent to jail.
The idea is likely to receive a warm reception from the British public, whose outrage over last week’s paroxysm of violence would seem to strengthen Cameron’s hand in imposing law and order.
But opposition lawmakers and even some belonging to the junior party in Britain’s ruling coalition demur over measures they say could aggravate the conditions that helped give rise to the outbreak of violence.
“Instant and simple judgment in response to these sort of events brings bad solutions,” said Labor leader Ed Miliband. “Knee-jerk gimmicks, not thought through — they won’t solve the problem.”
Just what the problem is has become the subject of increasing dispute.
