Lee Anderson, the deputy leader of the New Tory party, defended his belief in the death sentence and emphasized that it is “not some insane fringe stance.”
A majority of British, including millions of Tory supporters, wanted to see the death penalty reinstated, the outspoken Ashfield MP said.
Moreover, he emphasized that his viewpoint shouldn’t come as a “huge surprise” since it is “an idea I have always had since I was a youngster.”
But, Mr. Anderson acknowledged that the reinstatement of the death sentence “is never going to happen” since it could never be approved by Parliament.
The 56-year-old, a former Labour councilor who switched sides before joining the Conservatives in 2019, has a history of stirring up trouble.
His elevation to a key party position by Rishi Sunak earlier this month prompted further inquiries into his former remarks about food banks, England football players “taking the knee” before to games, and his support for the death penalty.
In a recent interview with a magazine, Mr. Anderson said that the death sentence had a “100% success record” and that Fusilier Lee Rigby’s assassins should have been “gone the same week.”
The Prime Minister rejected Mr. Anderson’s comments and said that neither he nor the Government would ever go back to executing criminals.
The Conservative deputy chairman, though, defended his position in an interview with TalkTV that will run tonight.
Appearing on the Nadine Dorries’ “Friday Night with Nadine” program, a fellow Conservative MP and former Cabinet minister, Mr. Anderson remarked, “Last year, we brought new legislation in, you were there Nadine, to enhance sentences for the most violent offenders in this country. That for me, is red meat.”
“I know you’ll keep bringing up the remarks concerning the death penalty. My constituents are not too surprised by this.
I’m not suddenly declaring that I favor the death penalty. I’ve always believed this since I was a teenager, but you know what? That is not a wacky extreme viewpoint.
These are not. A majority of people in the country—52%—support this strategy, including millions of Republican supporters.
According to a recent YouGov survey, 30% of respondents think the death penalty should be reinstated in all murder cases, and that number jumps to 52% in multiple-murder situations.
54% of Brits, according to a separate study by Redfield & Wilton Strategies in March 2021, approve the death penalty for terrorists proven guilty in the UK.
Yet, Mr. Anderson acknowledged that the death sentence would not be reinstated in Britain despite his personal support.
“Look, Nadine, I know and you know, this is never going to happen,” he said. That will never become government policy, and it will never get through Parliament, but I’m a member of parliament, a citizen, and a human being.
Even if some members of my own party in Parliament disagree with my beliefs, I have the right to express them. That’s all there is to it. It is democratic.
* Friday Night with Nadine airs at 8:00 PM on TalkTV.
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