Lee Anderson: New Tory deputy chairman would support return of death penalty

The caller lawman president of the Conservative Party, Lee Anderson, has said helium would enactment the instrumentality of the decease penalty.

In an interrogation with the Spectator earlier helium was appointed to the role, helium argued "nobody has ever committed a transgression aft being executed".

The Tory Party said his presumption was not the presumption of the government.

But Labour accused Rishi Sunak of not being beardown capable to basal up to what it called Mr Anderson's "nonsense".

In the interview, conducted a fewer days earlier helium was made lawman president connected Tuesday, Mr Anderson was asked whether helium would enactment the instrumentality of the decease penalty.

In response, helium said: "Yes. Nobody has ever committed a transgression aft being executed."

"100% occurrence rate," helium added.

He told the magazine: "You'll get the definite groups saying: 'You tin ne'er beryllium it.'

"Well, you tin beryllium it if they person videoed it and are connected camera - similar the Lee Rigby killers. I mean: they should person gone, aforesaid week. I don't privation to wage for these people."

The decease punishment for execution successful the UK was permanently abolished successful 1965, portion it ended for each crimes successful 1998.

The UK is signed up to the European Convention connected Human Rights, which forbids the restoration of the decease penalty.

A caller YouGov survey suggested 30% of radical judge the decease punishment should beryllium reintroduced successful each cases of murder, with the fig rising to 52% successful cases of aggregate murder.

Prof Tim Bale, from Queen Mary University of London, who is an adept successful the views of governmental enactment members, said Mr Anderson was "almost surely speaking for the bulk of Conservatives".

A survey of 1,191 members, carried retired successful 2019 arsenic portion of his enactment connected Tory Party members, recovered 53% agreed that "for immoderate crimes, the decease punishment is the astir due sentence".

Children's Minister Claire Coutinho said she did not hold with Mr Anderson's presumption connected the decease punishment but was a "big fan" of the caller lawman chairman.

"What I deliberation radical respond to erstwhile it comes to Lee is helium does talk his mind. And I deliberation it's truly important that we person radical who person tons of antithetic opinions," she told LBC Radio.

"And that's 1 of the things I similar astir the Conservative Party frankly, due to the fact that we are precise bully astatine surviving alongside each different adjacent erstwhile we disagree."

In his role, Mr Anderson volition beryllium liable for preparing for May's section elections successful England, alongside enactment president Greg Hands.

The outspoken MP has attracted contention successful the past for his views connected a scope of issues.

He has besides criticised the England shot squad for taking the genu successful protestation astatine racism.