David Cameron to visit Tottenham

Prime Minister David Cameron has agreed to visit victims of the Tottenham riots, at the invitation of the area’s MP David Lammy.

During a special parliamentary debate on the nationwide disorder on Thursday, Mr Lammy asked whether Mr Cameron would visit the riot-stricken area, following in the footsteps of his deputy Nick Clegg, who toured the High Road on Monday.

He accepted, but it is not yet known when he will make his visit. Speaking in parliament on Thursday, Mr Cameron said he “would like to pay tribute to the Member for Tottenham for his powerful words and unstinting work over recent days”.

He also said he would do “whatever it takes to restore law and order and to rebuild our communities”, including meeting “the immediate costs of emergency accommodation for families made homeless by these disturbances,” easing the burden on Haringey Council’s already stretched budgets.

Addressing parliament, which was recalled during its summer break specially to debate the riots, Mr Cameron said: “What we have seen on the streets of London and in other cities across our country is completely unacceptable and I am sure the whole House will join me in condemning it. Keeping people safe is the first duty of government.

“The whole country has been shocked by the most appalling scenes of people looting, violence, vandalising and thieving. It is criminality pure and simple. And there is absolutely no excuse for it.”

He added: “We will not put up with this in our country. We will not allow a culture of fear to exist on our streets. And we will do whatever it takes to restore law and order and to rebuild our communities.”

Mr Cameron called it “simply preposterous” that anyone could be looting “because of the death of Mark Duggan,” adding: “The young people stealing flat screen televisions and burning shops that was not about politics or protest, it was about theft.”

He said police tactics “weren’t working” and, pledging to help mend “our broken society,” he said: “There is no one step that can be taken. But we need a benefit system that rewards work and that is on the side of families. We need more discipline in our schools. We need action to deal with the most disruptive families. And we need a criminal justice system that scores a clear and heavy line between right and wrong.”

source; hornsey journal