MPs should not speculate over cause of riots, says Theresa May

After Kenneth Clarke’s remarks about ‘a feral underclass’, the home secretary says politicians should not rush to judgment Politicians should refrain from rushing to judgment over the causes of the riots that swept across England, the home secretary told the Commons home affairs select committee. Theresa May said it was not helpful for politicians to “suddenly speculate” over what happened. The causes would only be known once all the evidence had been analysed, she said. Her comments came after Kenneth Clarke, the justice secretary, blamed a criminal “feral underclass” for the looting and violence on the streets in August. May told MPs that it was “difficult” to pinpoint the causes of the riots. “It’s not helpful for politicians to suddenly speculate over what happened,” she said. “I think one of the things I would say is there are a number of elements in terms of what happened.” These varied from place to place, she said. “I’m absolutely clear that what underlay it was criminality. Three-quarters of those arrested have criminal records.” Earlier, Sadiq Khan, the shadow justice secretary, said that blaming a “feral underclass” was lazy and absolved those involved of responsibility. The home secretary said that analysis of the involvement of gangs was continuing, but she added that “possibly it’s not as high as the government first thought”. She also admitted that many people felt “those who were on the streets seemed to be in control of parts of the streets”. Asked if the riots were prompted by the shooting of Mark Duggan by police in Tottenham, north London, on 4 August, May said: “I would be very cautious in saying that the shooting had the sort of direct link that we’re talking about.” Some people “chose to go out on the streets and damage buildings and cause disorder,” she said. “What initiated that is something that none of us can wholeheartedly say we know.” Asked if the shooting of Duggan triggered the riots, David Lammy, the MP for Tottenham, said: “I think that this is the perfect storm of a catalogue of problems that could have avoided riots on the scale that we saw. A death of this kind we know from experience in London can trigger unrest.” Duggan’s family was “left floundering” and the “lack of communication did not help”, he said. “At that point community confidence is essential. That did not happen.” He said that despite concerns of tension and fear in the community, “I think this event was hijacked by those intent on causing criminal damage”. Lammy added: “We must never let criminals run the streets.” Theresa May UK riots David Lammy guardian.co.uk

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