Inquiry is a must... just like in Oldham

AN inquiry into the cause of last week’s riots across England must be carried out, just like the one after the troubles in Oldham, Labour leader Ed Miliband has urged.

Mr Miliband said writing the riots off as “pure criminality” or blaming parents was not addressing the problem.

In an attack on Prime Minister David Cameron, he said the Government’s response had been “knee-jerk gimmicks.”

Mr Miliband said there was a need for a national conversation which involved talking to real people.

He added: “After every major disturbance, from Brixton to Oldham, we have had a commission to look at the causes. We must have one this time. A genuine national conversation.

“Those leading this inquiry must include young people, those with experience of being in gangs and people from across the community.

“The hearings should not happen in Whitehall or the palace of Westminster but in the areas which experienced the riots, and those that did not.”

Mr Miliband urged the Government to set up a commission of inquiry, adding: “If he does not, I will.”

Oldham West and Royton MP Michael Meacher said many lessons were learned from the Cantle report following our own trouble in 2001.

He said : “The report had an enormous effect on Oldham and it was a huge wake-up call. It was about trying to make links across the divide.

“The report has significantly improved relationships in Oldham but it is not to say there are no problems anymore.

“However, I do not think there will be anything like a recurrence of inter-community strife as we saw in Oldham 10 years ago.

“Huge amounts of funding were put in place and Oldham has had huge investment in the last 10 years which I cannot believe would have happened before.”

The Labour MP said Mr Miliband was right to push for an inquiry but Parliament should set up its own Commission of Inquiry as Victorian parliaments had done on critical issues of overriding national importance.

“That would be a better idea because it would be cross-party and carry the full weight of Parliament,” Mr Meacher said.

“It would lead to conclusions and recommendations which the Government would be expected to act upon.”

In a separate speech following last week’s rioting, David Cameron claimed many of those involved in the disturbances came from households without a father figure and instead looked for male role models on the streets.

He promised action to help turn around the lives of 120,000 problem families within the lifetime of this Parliament as part of his strategy to tackle Britain’s “broken society”.