UKIP voted against the World Day Against The Death Penalty on 7 October 2010: “UKIP accepts there are legitimate arguments about the death penalty, both for and against. However, UKIP feels that the decision to have or not have the death penalty is a decision that lies only with the individual nation state, and not the undemocratic EU. UKIP notes the attempts the EU has made to interfere with other countries’ policies in this area. It is not for the EU to bully any country into maintaining abolition or enacting abolition of the death penalty. UKIP also notes the way the EU has shut down any debate on this topic in the European context, despite public opinion on the subject. The maintenance or otherwise of the death penalty is, and should remain, a decision solely made at the nation state level via democratic means. Any state with the death penalty should ensure proper procedures of evidence collection, prisoner interrogation and fair trials.”

"Contemplate that if Hitler falls into our hands we shall certainly put him to death," Churchill noted at a Cabinet meeting in December 1942.

'This man is the mainspring of evil. Instrument — electric chair, for gangsters, no doubt available on lease-lend'.

Tuesday 2 August 2011 - Mr Turner, who represents the Isle of Wight, said in a statement he thought it was "high time that this issue is debated".

"My instinct is that some crimes are so horrific that the proper punishment is the death penalty," he said.

"A few people commit acts so evil they are beyond understanding, for example Ian Brady, the Moors murderer; Roy Whiting who abducted and killed eight-year-old Sarah Payne and, more recently, those who tortured and were then responsible for the death of Baby P, Peter Connolly.”

"Like many people I have concerns about the possibility of wrongful convictions, so perhaps we should consider whether before a death sentence could be passed, a higher standard of evidence would be needed than 'beyond reasonable doubt' which is used to secure a criminal conviction.”

"Some people have suggested that there should be proof 'beyond the shadow of a doubt' before a death sentence could be passed."

A Kent MP has called for a return to the death penalty in order to deal with knife crime.

Roger Gale, the Tory MP for North Thanet, said that bringing back capital punishment for murder was the only way to deter people from carrying knives, short of banning all tools and kitchen utensils that could cause harm.

Mr Gale said: “Either ban hammers and screwdrivers and other carpenters’ tools or bring back capital punishment as the maximum available sentence for murder.”

“I would suggest that the much more basic but practical response to the growth in armed crime is the re-introduction of capital punishment for murder.”

Mr Gale insisted that he is not in favour of a return to hanging.

He added: “I appreciate that a re-introduction would mean the repeal of the Human Rights Act but I have no problem with that whatsoever. Parliament must act in the interests of the UK and its people and not, necessarily, in compliance with European legislation.”

Friday 5 August 2011 - Speaking to BBC Look North, Andrew Percy said: "There is a section of the public who say they support the death penalty and sparking a debate on an issue which politicians are too frightened to talk about is to be encouraged."

The Tory MP added that voters should have the final say: "This is the kind of thing that politicians should not take the decision on. It says something about morality of society, so I would have a referendum and let the public decide."

Friday 5 August 2011 - Bloom said he signed Staines' petition because he was in favour of restoring the death penalty for child and serial killers.

"Child and serial killers are never safe to be released back into society and quite frankly keeping them behind bars till they die is a waste of taxpayers' money. They forfeit any rights when they murder innocents," he said.

Thursday 4 August 2011 - “I am in favour of restoring the death penalty for child and serial killers,” explained Mr Nuttall

“I am sure that enough signatures will be garnered and it is such an important issue that it should be allocated time for debate by all MPs,” said Mr Nuttall.

“Child and serial killers are never safe to be released back into society and quite frankly keeping them behind bars till they die is a waste of taxpayers’ money. They forfeit any rights when they murder innocents.

“With improvements in science there is virtually no chance of mistaken identity – especially when it comes serial killers. While is not UKIP policy to bring back the death penalty I would vote ‘yes’ if any such referendum was held on capital punishment,” he added.

Monday 30 January 2012 - THE controversial decision to allow private clinics, that carry out abortions for profit, to advertise on television and radio has been greeted with fury by local Euro MP Paul Nuttall.

"This is cheapening life, cheapening society and I think it is outrageous," said the UKIP deputy leader. "We are living in a very warped society and this decision must be revoked. Advertising abortion trivializes what is in reality killing an unborn child and the potential psychological implications for the mother are well documented. Killers such as Ian Brady and Ian Huntley have their 'human rights' and did not face the death penalty for taking the lives of children. Who is to defend the unborn child faced with a death sentence?” 

Monday 29 October 2012 - Deputy leader for the UK Independence Party Paul Nuttall is calling for the return of capital punishment for those who have committed serious crimes against the state.

The MEP believes offenders give up their right to life by taking someone else’s and insists that whoever is convicted for the murder of Greater Manchester Police officers Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone should pay with their life.

"It is time that those who commit such heinous crimes should face the ultimate sanction against them," said Mr Nuttall. "We so recently had two women police officers blasted to death in Manchester and all our brave bobbies face similar risks every day. They deserve all the protection the State can provide and I believe that means the death penalty awaiting culprits.”

The death penalty was abolished in 1969 across Great Britain and is binding law as part of the European Convention on Human Rights – the UK would have to walk out on the EU to return capital punishment.

But Mr Nutall claims that the country should no longer tolerate serious criminals and they should pay ‘the ultimate price’.

"The same should apply to those who murder children and for serial killers,” he added. “We must lay down a mark in the sand beyond which the ultimate price must be paid by offenders. People have had more than enough of soft sentencing in this country and it must be made plain that crime will not be tolerated.” 

"There is really no doubt, if you have got DNA evidence in multiple murders there will be absolutely no doubt," he told BBC's World this Weekend.

"That is one of the great concerns historically about capital punishment, that there will be doubt about it. Secondly, that it is obviously pre-meditated. If somebody plans to carry out a series of murders, often against children or young women, or elderly people. These people pick their victims very cynically I'm afraid. Then this is obviously an evil and pre-meditated attack and in that case, there could be there a deterrent effect. We are talking about lives here."

"I would bring back capital punishment for serial murderers. It is not a crime of passion, it is clearly pre-meditated and cold-blooded."

"The reason why people are against the death penalty very often is because of the risk of getting it wrong. With serial murders, that is unlikely to happen," he said.

On 29 October 2009 - "There are times when the death penalty, operated within a robust legal framework, is an appropriate form of punishment," he said. "We can all think of mass murderers who through their evil acts forfeited their right to life. I have no compunction at all in saying that someone like Ian Brady, the Moors Murderer who murdered five innocent children, has forfeited their right to live through their actions."

“MPs have to stop being so arrogant and listen to what the public are saying. I want hanging, or some form of execution, brought back for criminals who kill police officers in pursuit of their crimes and terrorists who kill in pursuit of their political aims.”

Miss Widdecombe, a Catholic and a supporter of a ban on hunting, said she had never believed in using the death penalty as a means of retribution.

But she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "If it can be shown that it is a real deterrent and its availability, not its regular use, is enough to deter murderers and save innocent lives, then I think that is a case that can be made."

Miss Widdecombe argued that in the five years up to 1970 when the death penalty was suspended, statistics showed that capital murder went up 125%.

"I am not running around this morning, banging drums, calling for the restoration of the death penalty, because I think if you are going to have it, you first of all need it to be done very rationally and secondly not just on a tide of outrage," she said.

"I am not interested in retribution, I'm interested in saving life.”

"Now if you can save life by having a death penalty, regardless of what methods used are ... then I would maintain that there is an argument to be made."

"I think the big weakness in the US is the large amount of time that elapses in their dreadful system of people being on death row for 10 years at a time between the conviction and the application of punishment, we frankly have never had that in this country."

But Tory MP Ann Widdecombe, who backs capital punishment, said: “People are pretty fed up with what they see as an ineffective operation of the law and one of the symptoms of that is to demand it be made tougher.” 4 October 2009

"If you had the ultimate punishment for the murder of policemen and other heinous crimes, I am sure it would act as a deterrent," she said. "We must send a clear signal to people that crime doesn't pay. The punishment must fit the crime and yes, I do support capital punishment. For far too long the law has been on the side of the criminal. Law and order is breaking down in Britain and we must do something about it."

"It's about time the public had a greater say on the issues that we debate. I'm not surprised that this issue has been raised. We need strong deterrents to make people think twice about the crimes they commit."

“Ground-breaking DNA detection techniques means the argument for bringing back the death penalty is getting "stronger and stronger."

"We have also got to consider the number of people who have been killed in this country by murderers who have been convicted once and then let out of prison. When capital punishment was abolished we were always told that life would mean life, we realized a long time ago that that certainly isn't the case anymore."

"It's something where once again the public are a long way ahead of the politicians. I'd go further and restore it for all murderers."

Saturday 6 August 2011 - “I am in favour of the death penalty. What I find intolerable is people like the Yorkshire Ripper, who is swanning around Broadmoor having taken the lives of so many people and ruined the lives of his victims’ families.”

“I have always said, as I did when asked at my selection meeting, that having capital punishment available in respect of the most heinous and evil crimes may act as a deterrent to prevent other serious criminal acts from taking place.”

A point on the death penalty

The most plausible argument against capital punishment is the risk that innocent people are hanged, which is a dreadful thing. But the counter-argument is the death of victims murdered by previously convicted murderers who have escaped, or been paroled, or otherwise released.

I've always wondered how serious a problem this was, and I recently got my good friend Philip Hollobone MP (Kettering) to ask a Parliamentary Question. The answer was 24 known cases over 1994/2004, or an average of well over two a year. When we agonise over the innocent suspect convicted, let's also remember those 24 innocent victims who would be alive today if their murderers had been hanged for the first offence.

Wednesday 29 June 2011 - “I don’t for a moment suggest anyone should be hanged just to save money, yet cost adds further weight to the moral and public safety arguments. It costs upwards of £40,000 a year to keep a man in jail. Keeping him in jail for 25 years would cost north of £1 million, which the justice secretary doesn’t have.”

Wednesday 29 June 2011 - The politician also dismissed fears about innocent people being hanged, claiming hangings would save lives.

He said: “If we hang a murderer, at least he can’t do it again. It’s a racing certainty that more innocent people have died at the hands of repeat offenders, who I would argue should have been hanged first time round, than have ever died from miscarriages of justice.”

21 December 1964 = I believe that this particular penalty for particular people than the professional criminals is the one real deterrent…

Great care is and has been taken by professional criminals to avoid the risk of violence leading to death, because of the difference in the penalty which is paid. I believe we are witnessing an increase in professional crime, and there is an extension of operations by organized gangs. I fear that the removal of capital punishment from this field of crime would introduce a risk greater violence, the wider use of guns and greater danger to the public.