PM Recalls Parliament As Clegg Booed By Crowd

The Prime Minister has said Parliament will be recalled on Thursday after rioting in major cities across the country.

David Cameron said the scenes of violence on Monday night were "sickening" and pledged to "do everything necessary to restore order to Britain's streets and make them safe for the law abiding".

His comments came shortly before the London Mayor and Deputy Prime Minister were challenged by members of the public during separate visits to the capital and Birmingham.

MPs will return to London to debate the trouble that started on Saturday evening in Tottenham after Mark Duggan was fatally shot by police .

Mr Cameron added that 16,000 police officers would be on the streets of London this evening in a bid to stop further trouble.

London Mayor Boris Johnson returned early from his summer holiday and faced a barrage of criticism from angry residents as he toured Clapham.

Mr Johnson struggled to make himself heard during a visit to the area with the Home Secretary.

Some people shouted that the trouble was his fault and he should resign.

One woman said he needed to "talk to the youth", while a man added Mr Johnson's visit was "three days too late".

"Rioters and looters will face a punishment they will bitterly regret," Mr Johnson told the crowd.

"I know there are questions about the police response and police numbers, I understand that," he said.

The Deputy Prime Minister has also been visiting the devastation in another riot-hit area.

Nick Clegg was booed by crowds who shouted "go home" during a walkabout in Birmingham.

He was quickly ushered into a waiting car by police and security staff, and as it drove off some of the crowd heckled "go on, run, run, run".

The Prime Minister announced all police leave has been cancelled and there would be reinforcements across the country tonight.

"We will do everything necessary to strengthen and assist those police forces that are meeting the disorder," he said.

Court procedures would also be speeded up to deal with the "many more" arrests expected, Mr Cameron added.

"This is criminality pure and simple and it has to be confronted and defeated," he said.

Mr Cameron warned those involved in the trouble they were not only risking their own communities, but their own futures, adding: "If you are old enough to commit these crimes you are old enough to face the punishment."

The PM said he felt "huge sympathy" for the families who had suffered, "innocent people who've been burned out of their houses" and businesses who had seen their premises "smashed, their products looted and their livelihoods potentially ruined".

Mr Cameron later visited a police control centre in Lambeth to assess the latest intelligence on violence.

He has also toured an area of Croydon that came under attack on Monday night.

Earlier Home Secretary Theresa May said the rioting had been "totally unacceptable" and "sheer criminality".

"The disorder we have seen is at a level we have not seen for many years in this country," she said.

"It is totally unacceptable. It is criminal behaviour we are seeing. The looting, the violence, the arson, this is sheer criminality.

"We do need to bring an end to it and we need to bring an end to it soon."

She denied the trouble had been caused by Government cuts, adding: "Don't let anyone use police budgets as an excuse for what has been going on."

Mrs May also appeared to rule out bringing in the Army and using a water cannon,adding: "The way we police in Britain is through consent of communities."

She appealed to witnesses to come forward with information about those responsible.

"There are many who are easily identified through CCTV cameras," she said.

Labour leader Ed Miliband met police officers in Peckham and surveyed the damage of Monday night's riots.

"I think it's right that substantially more police officers are being put on the streets because I think we all know the situation on the street needs to be got under control," he said.

"The public safety of our citizens, the ability for them to go about their business in a lawful way, is of absolute priority for any government and for any country.

"That is what we need to see happen as soon as possible. Action does need to be taken today.

"There needs to be a police presence in all parts of London to prevent the kinds of scenes we have seen over the last few days."

Mr Clegg had earlier said the trouble on Sunday night had nothing to do with the death of Mr Duggan, who was killed in Tottenham on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Mr Clegg has seen comments he made in the run-up to the General Election last year come back to haunt him.

He said Britain could be hit by a wave of "Greece-style" unrest if the Tories won.

Speaking in April 2010, the Lib Dem leader said he feared "serious social strife" if an administration with minimal support raised taxes, laid off public sector workers and froze wages.

In an interview with The Observer, Mr Clegg said: "Imagine the Conservatives go home and get an absolute majority, on 25% of the eligible vote.

"Then they turn around in the next week or two and say we're going to chuck up VAT to 20%, we're going to to start cutting teachers, cutting police and the wage bill in the public sector.

"I think if you're not careful in that situation...you'd get Greek-style unrest."

Tottenham MP David Lammy has called for BlackBerry to suspend its messaging service in an attempt to stop rioters communicating.

The company has pledged to help authorities investigate the violence after it emerged its devices were increasingly being used to organise trouble.