Reform UK chairman Lee Anderson has backed holding a referendum to let the British public decide whether to bring back the death penalty.
Speaking to The Sun, the MP for Ashfield said he believed a majority of Britons would vote in favour of restoring capital punishment.
However, Mr Anderson acknowledged that he and Reform leader Nigel Farage “differ” on the issue.
Read Also: British officials hauled into US embassy for grilling over Labour's internet crackdowns
He also admitted that putting the question to the public would be “very divisive”.
Mr Anderson said: “We learnt that with the Brexit referendum, it divides the country and gets families falling out with each other.
“So yes I would, but it would be divisive, very divisive.”
Mr Farage has previously ruled out making the death penalty Reform policy.
Asked about the party’s position in June last year, he said: “Nothing on the death penalty will be part of party policy.”
Mr Farage added: “I have to say, personally, given there have been 500 quite serious miscarriages of justice in this country since the early 1970s, I don’t think I could ever support it.”
However, the Reform leader said he understood “why others take a different point of view”.
Addressing their disagreement, Mr Anderson said: “People say, ‘Oh, Nigel doesn’t agree with the death penalty and you’re divided,’ what a load of b****s that is!
“This is how out of touch I think Parliament is. I think the public would vote for the death penalty. Parliament would never vote for the death penalty.”
REFORM UK – READ THE LATEST:
- Kemi Badenoch looks for reshuffle ‘bounce’ as Tories and Reform battle for local by-elections gains
- Nigel Farage gives verdict on Keir Starmer’s London seat as Reform poised to battle new by-election
- Tories overtake Reform for first time in 18 months as split on right gives Andy Burnham lifeline
Mr Anderson has previously backed capital punishment in murder cases where he believes there can be no doubt over the offender’s guilt.
He has cited the killers of Fusilier Lee Rigby, Islamist terrorists Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, as an example.
The Reform chairman first publicly voiced his support for capital punishment in 2015, arguing that nobody has “ever committed a crime after being executed”.
Polling suggests there is significant public support for bringing back the death penalty for certain crimes.
A More in Common survey published following the sentencing of Southport killer Axel Rudakubana in January 2025 found 55 per cent backed its reintroduction for certain offences.
That was up from 50 per cent in autumn 2023, while opposition fell from 37 per cent to 32 per cent.
Millennials recorded the highest support, with 58 per cent in favour and 27 per cent opposed.
Capital punishment for murder was suspended in Great Britain in 1965 and permanently abolished in 1969.
Peter Allen and Gwynne Evans were the last people executed in Britain, with both hanged in August 1964.
Any attempt to restore capital punishment would also face major legal obstacles, including Britain’s obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.
Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter
