Do Reform want to bring back the death penalty?

Coffee House Shots

The Spectator

News, Politics, Government, Daily News

4.4 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 24 January 2025

⏱️ 9 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Reform MP Rupert Lowe has called for the death penalty to be re-established in the wake of the sentencing of the Southport killer Axel Rudakubana. With the Assisted Dying Bill still making its way through Parliament, it has been decades since the topic of death has been so hotly debated by MPs.

Katy Balls speaks to James Heale and Isabel Hardman about the political reaction to Rudakubana's sentencing. How popular is the death penalty with both MPs and the public? Should we even be debating the issue? And could Reform officially back its return soon?

Produced by Patrick Gibbons and Natasha Feroze.

Transcript

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0:00.0	The Spectator magazine is home to wonderful writing, insightful analysis and unrivaled books and arts reviews.
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0:11.5	along with a free £20 £10, £John Lewis or Waitrose voucher.
0:15.0	Go to spectator.com.uk forward slash voucher.
0:30.7	Hello and welcome to Coffee House Shots and Spectators' Daily Politics Podcast.
0:33.8	I'm Katie Balls and I'm joined by James Heel and Isabel Hardman.
0:39.5	On Thursday we had the sentencing regarding the Seifport murders. James, can you just bring us up to speed? Because of the age when he committed the crimes, he cannot get a whole life sentence. Yes,
0:45.3	this was about being underage. He was 17 years old, just about when the crime was committed.
0:50.3	And therefore, it's going to be 52 years he's been sentenced to, which I mean he was 70 when he's
0:53.9	released because he's 18 now.
0:55.2	In reality, it is unlikely as though he will never be released, a bit like Myra Hindley, for instance, he will almost certainly die behind bars.
1:01.7	And although technically he has not been sentenced for life, it is basically as much as you can get. And Isabel, let's go through the various responses from politicians to this, because Kemi Badernock, the Tory leader, came out and she said that they should think about changing
1:16.0	the law so you can have a whole life sentence in certain cases, despite the ages.
1:20.4	And reform came out of a slightly different idea. They went a little bit further.
1:24.2	Reform have moved the debate into the death penalty territory. I mean, I think
1:28.9	there is, just before we get onto that particular proposal, there is a debate about whether
1:34.1	the sentences are too lenient. So you've had the Southport MP referring the case to the
1:40.0	Attorney General to see whether there's a possibility the sentences have been too lenient,
1:44.8	although listening to the sentencing yesterday, which was anyone who did listen to it,
1:50.3	it's a very hard listen.
1:51.7	The judge was trying to make as clear as possible that this was what was, you know,
1:56.4	what was possible within the law.
	...

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