U.K. Leader Blames Riots on 'Moral Collapse'

U.K. Prime Minister's Promise to Use Policy to Remedy Social Ills Comes Amid Debate Over His Cuts to Police

The Wall Street Journal

By ALISTAIR MACDONALD

LONDON—Prime Minister David Cameron sought to bolster his law-and-order credentials Monday with a speech promising a root and branch review of all government policy to tackle the "slow-motion moral collapse" he believes led to the U.K.'s worst rioting in decades.

Mr. Cameron faces many obstacles in turning round what he described as "broken Britain"—including his government's cuts to police forces, and divisions between the police and government that have erupted since the unrest.

Britain Tallies Damage and Sets Out Anti-Riot Steps

The Wall Street Journal

By Alister McDonald

As the U.K. counts the cost of four nights of rioting, Prime Minister David Cameron set out a raft of new measures it will impose or consider on crowd control, gang membership and social media designed to prevent another violent episode.

Soul searching lies ahead as riots cool in Britain

(Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron will face pressure Thursday to soften his austerity plans, toughen up policing and do more to help inner-city communities after days of riots and looting laid bare deep social tensions in a depressed economy.

U.K. Ethnic Tensions Stoked by Riots

The Wall Street Journal

By GUY CHAZAN

BIRMINGHAM—Three Birmingham men died early Wednesday as they sought to protect local businesses from rioters, showing how the violence that began four days ago in London and spread to the U.K.'s other big cities is stoking long-simmering ethnic tensions in some of the country's most racially diverse communities.

The three men who died, all Asians, were hit by a carload of suspected looters. West Midlands police arrested a man near the scene and launched a murder inquiry. Witnesses said the man, the driver of the vehicle, was black.

British riots spread on third night of violence

Mon, Aug 8 2011

By Stefano Ambrogi and Mohammad Abbas

LONDON (Reuters) - Rioting and looting spread across London on Monday as hooded youths set buildings and cars ablaze, smashed shop windows and hurled bottles and stones at police in a third night of violence in Britain's worst unrest in decades.

Prime Minister David Cameron cut short his holiday to fly home to tackle the violence, which appeared to be led by youths alienated by years of underemployment which left them feeling marginalized even before the economic downturn.