FT.com / UK / Politics & policy - Doubts cast on ‘broken Britain’ claims.

The FT reports:

Life in Britain’s most deprived neighbourhoods has improved during Labour’s time in power, a Financial Times analysis has revealed, casting fresh doubt over David Cameron’s claims that society is “broken”.

The Conservative leader has been forced to tone down his rhetoric about “broken Britain” in the run-up to Thursday’s vote after he was accused of painting a false picture of a crime-ridden country beset by social ills.

FT research shows that even the most deprived local authorities have shown signs of improvement over recent years when looking at figures ranging from crime and truancy to teenage pregnancies and children living in unemployed households.

Have not a shadow of doubt that the poorest places in the UK face real problems: they do.

But also have no doubt about their future, which is considerably more bleak if the Tories get into power and wreak havoc on the budgets that sustain these communities.

We cannot afford this havoc.

We do not need this havoc. I have shown how here, and here, and here.

We can have society.

And we need not be like Greece.

But the Tories are at risk of destroying society and creating a crisis at least as big as Greece's.

Now you know why I'm worried.

But the fight will go on, whatever happens.