What caused the unthinkable riots, looting, arson, mugging, assault, deaths across England last summer, were these riots just waiting for an excuse to kick off and why did no one see them coming – or did they?

Was this a riot by the feral underclass, when children as young as seven, and those from middle class backgrounds were also involved? Was it a result of poverty and deprivation, just a bit of fun, or is there an entitlement culture in our society? Who’s to blame, politicians, bankers, big business, parents? Could the damage in London and the spread of riots across England be blamed on the police for losing control of the streets?

What are the lessons to be learned, will we see a repeat this summer, and what can be done to avoid one?

These and many other questions will be addressed by our distinguished panel of Tony Benn former MP, Cabinet Minister and Labour party chairman; David Lammy, MP for Tottenham since 2000, where the summer’s riots began, who held several ministerial positions in the Labour government and recently published Out of the Ashes: Britain after the Riots; and Mary Riddell, columnist and political interviewer for the Daily Telegraph. The panel is chaired by Harriet Sergeant, journalist and author of Among the Hoods, a book on a three-year friendship with a Brixton gang.