Prime minister Gordon Brown has dismissed suggestions a broken society exists in Britain.

Speaking as a surprise guest at the Edinburgh Book Festival today, Mr Brown said: “I don’t think the British people have never been broken by anything or anyone.

“I feel there is so much good being done in different parts of our country,” he added.

“I think Britain is basically a decent, compassionate society and most people want to see things change for the better.”

Mr Brown is currently on his summer holiday but appeared in Edinburgh for the festival to be interviewed by crime writer Ian Rankin.

The prime minister said that knife crime was current the “biggest problem” facing many of the country’s cities.

He added that the problem could not be solved by the government alone, saying the community needed to play its role in changing current culture and make the carrying knives unacceptable behaviour.