Labour leader Ed Miliband said that "we all have to take responsibility" for the riots that swept across England, and has reiterated his call for a public inquiry.

"I found myself thinking that this was individual criminal activity and there can be no excuse and justification for it… but I know we need to go beyond that," he told James Naughtie.

"Is it culture or is it poverty and lack of opportunity? It is probably both."

"I deeply regret that inequality wasn't reduced under the last Labour government," he said. New Labour were "better at rebuilding the fabric of our country than the ethic of our country."

Mr Miliband said that "we all have to look into our souls", connecting the riots with the banking crisis and the phone hacking scandal, which all displayed "irresponsibility", a lack of a sense of right and wrong, and a "me first" mentality.

"We all have to take responsibility," he said. "The most powerful in our society have to take responsibility."

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