Calls for return of death penalty

A controversial campaign has called for a change in the criminal justice system which would see the death penalty reintroduced. Political blog writer Paul Staines is leading the Restore Justice campaign, which urges the Government to bring back the death penalty for those who murder children and police officers. The e-petition features on a Government website and if 100,000 people sign up, it will be eligible for a debate in the House of Commons. Mr Staines said: “The majority are in favour for bringing back the death penalty everywhere except in Parliament. “Politicians are complaining that there’s a disconnect and that the public aren’t engaged with them – maybe if they represented the views and the will of the voters, there wouldn’t be such a big disconnect.” The last execution to take place in the UK occurred in 1964. A year later, the death penalty was abolished in Great Britain, with Northern Ireland following suit in 1973. Capital punishment was last debated in the Parliament in 1998 during the passage of the Human Rights Act, which saw it rejected by 158 votes.

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