The Prime Minister has addressed calls to reintroduce the death penalty for the worst crimes committed in the UK. Sir Starmer was asked about the death penalty in the context of “brutal murders, rapes and stabbings far too often perpetrated by someone who should not be in our country to begin with”.
Independent MP Rupert Lowe, formerly of Reform UK, urged the Labour leader to put the reintroduction of the death penalty to the public in a legally binding referendum. Sir Starmer told parliament capital punishment was “not the answer” as it “doesn’t work” and “lead to the death of innocent people”. He added that there needed to be a focus on “criminal justice response” instead.
Mr Lowe asked: “Does the PM agree that for cases where the guilt is so undeniable, the crime so monstrous, the evil so irredeemable the reintroduction of the death penalty for both foreign and domestic criminals should be put to the British people in a legally binding referendum?”
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Sir Starmer responded: “Any attack is to be condemned and it is absolutely right and we are determined that there is a criminal justice response in relation to an attack… But reintroducing the death penalty is not the answer to this.
“It didn’t work. It lead to the death of those who in fact it turned out were innocent. But what we must do, as we are, is improve the criminal justice response in this country.”
It comes as Starmer was accused of “desperately clinging onto his job” as he tried to quell rumours of a “bloody coup”. During Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs), the Labour leader defended the Government’s record and insisted they were a “united team”.
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Earlier today on BBC Radio 4, Health Secretary Wes Streeting was forced to deny rumours he was part of a cabal plotting to take out the PM. Sir Starmer’s allies made it clear he would fight off any rebellion ahead of a crunch budget in two weeks.
The embattled PM told Parliament “this is a united team and we are delivering together“, as he referenced trade deals, upgraded growth from the Bank of England and fresh investment into the UK.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch slammed Starmer’s “toxic number 10” as she accused him of “desperately tried to cling on to his own job”. She also asked if he would sack top advisor Morgan McSweeney.
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