Keir Starmer WON’T change law that helped Southport killer avoid a life sentence – despite MPs demanding death penalty
SIR Keir Starmer won’t change a law stopping the Southport killer being slapped with a lifetime sentence, No10 confirmed yesterday.
Despite public outcry, a spokesperson for the PM said the issue is “not something we are looking at”.
It came as Cabinet Minister John Healey admitted that UN rules on the “rights of a child” are what prevented Axel Rudakabana from being locked up for life.
The foreign-imposed convention bans countries giving whole life sentences to under-18s.
Because Rudakabana was 17 at the time of his venomous attack, he was only passed a 52-year prison term.
Sir Keir Starmer and his Attorney General Lord Richard Hermer have previously sparked outrage for insisting they will always “respect” international law.
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The pair’s allegiance to foreign courts led to the abandonment of the Rwanda deportation plan for illegal migrants and the reversal of a block on compensation for former Sinn Feinn leader Gerry Adams.
A spokesperson for Sir Keir said: “I don’t want to see this man ever coming out of prison.
“As the judge stated, it’s likely he will never be released, and that he will be in prison for the rest of his life.
“I know that’s a view the country will endorse. This is understood to be one of the highest minimum terms in English legal history.
“We’re restricted in our ability to extend whole life orders to under-18s by UN laws.”
But earlier in the day Mr Healey suggested ministers want the foreign rules looked over.
He told Times Radio: “We owe it to those victims to consider and then deliver the changes that their memories deserve.”
Meanwhile, Tory Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said that “there is a strong case here for amending the law to give clear judicial discretion to award whole life sentences to under 18s, which Conservatives will start to explore”.
Yesterday Downing Street also confirmed Sir Keir has no plans to reinstate the death penalty.
It came after Reform UK MPs Rupert Lowe and Lee Anderson called for the return of capital punishment in the wake of Southport.