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Rishi Sunak’s controversial new deputy party chairman said he would support the return of the death penalty because “nobody has ever committed a crime after being executed”.

Outspoken Ashfield MP Lee Anderson was handed the senior government position during the prime minister’s reshuffle on Tuesday.

The move raised eyebrows given his history of controversial comments, including questioning if food bank users have genuine need and criticising England football players for taking the knee in protest at racism.

In an interview with The Spectator magazine a few days before his surprise appointment, Mr Anderson said he would back the return of capital punishment.

Asked whether he would support the return of the death penalty, Mr Anderson told the weekly magazine: “Yes.”

He added: “Nobody has ever committed a crime after being executed. You know that, don’t you? 100% success rate.”

The death penalty for murder in the UK was outlawed permanently in 1969 and then totally abolished for all crimes in 1998.

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The last people executed in Britain were Peter Allen and Gwynne Evans on 13 August 1964.

The UK has signed up to the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits the restoration of the death penalty.

Lee Anderson, MP for Ashfield, says he can no longer support Boris Johnson.

But Mr Anderson argued that heinous crimes where the perpetrators are clearly identifiable should be punished by execution.

He pointed to the murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby in 2013 by Islamist extremists Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale.

The former was given a whole life term, meaning he will die in prison, and the latter was jailed for a minimum of 45 years for running over and stabbing the British Army soldier in southeast London in broad daylight.

Mr Anderson told the magazine: “Now I’d be very careful on that one [the return of the death penalty] because you’ll get the certain groups saying ‘You can never prove it’.

“Well, you can prove it if they have videoed it and are on camera – like the Lee Rigby killers.

“I mean: they should have gone, same week. I don’t want to pay for these people.”

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Mr Anderson, who has compared the government to “the band on the Titanic” for its handling of small boat crossings, also said migrants arriving unlawfully in Britain should be returned the “same day” to where they came from.

The former miner said he visited Calais last month and met migrants referring to Britain as “El Dorado”.

“They are seeing a country where the streets are paved with gold – where, once you land, they are not in that manky little f****** scruffy tent,” he said.

Asked for his solution, he replied: “I’d send them straight back the same day.

“I’d put them on a Royal Navy frigate or whatever and sail it to Calais, have a stand-off. And they’d just stop coming.”

A former Labour councillor before converting to the Tories, Mr Anderson said that despite facing criticism in some quarters for his opinions, he found voters often agreed with him.

“If I say something that is supposedly outrageous in that place [the Commons], I get back to Ashfield on a Thursday, people will come out the shops and say ‘You say what I’m thinking’,” he added.

“Maybe some of my colleagues think I’m a little bit too divisive.

“But I’m of the mind that half the population will hate you, whatever colour you wear.”

Mr Anderson is popular among grassroot party members and was voted favourite backbench MP of 2022 in a survey by Conservative Home.

He will work under Greg Hands, who is replacing Nadhim Zahawi as chairman after he was sacked over his handling of his tax affairs.

One Tory MP had choice words over the appointment, telling Sky’s deputy political editor Sam Coates that Mr Anderson is “everything that is wrong with the Conservative brand presently”.

The MP added: “He seems to rejoice in deliberately provoking and making aggressive simplistic statements that fail to recognise the complexities of the issues facing the country.

“If this is the new Tory party, many will be forgiven for deserting it.”

Labour also attacked the appointment, with Zarah Sultana saying the Conservatives were “scraping the barrel” to fill government appointments.

But Nigel Adams, the Tory MP for Selby and Ainsty, hailed the decision as a “clever appointment” by the prime minister adding: “He understands why people voted Conservative in 2019 and what makes them tick.”

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Israeli forces kill two Palestinian men in West Bank after they appear to surrender

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Israeli forces kill two Palestinian men in West Bank after they appear to surrender

Israeli forces killed two Palestinian men in the West Bank after they appeared to be surrendering.

Palestinians said the killings, which were captured on video and shown on two Arab TV channels, were carried out “in cold blood”.

In the video, the men were seen exiting a building and lying on the ground in front of Israeli forces in the northern West Bank city of Jenin.

Both men lifted their T-shirts and held their hands in the air, apparently to show they were not carrying weapons or explosives.

The soldiers then appeared to order the men back inside the building before they were shot.

A Reuters journalist in the area saw the men leave the building, appearing to surrender, and later, after hearing shots fired, saw Israeli forces standing near what appeared to be a lifeless body.

The men were identified as al Muntasir Abdullah, 26, and Yousef Asasa, 37, by Palestinian authorities.

Footage of the incident has been broadcast on Arab TV channels
Image:
Footage of the incident has been broadcast on Arab TV channels

What has Israel said about the incident?

A joint statement between the Israeli Defence Forces and Israeli police said: “Earlier this evening (Thursday), during an Israel Border Police and IDF operation in the area of Jenin, the forces operated to apprehend wanted individuals who had carried out terror activities, including hurling explosives and firing at security forces.

“The wanted individuals were affiliated with a terror network in the area of Jenin.

“The forces entered the area, enclosed the structure in which the suspects were located, and initiated a surrender procedure that lasted several hours. Following the use of engineering tools on the structure, the two suspects exited.

“Following their exit, fire was directed toward the suspects.

“The incident is under review by the commanders on the ground, and will be transferred to the relevant professional bodies.”

Israel’s far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said the military and police unit involved in the shooting had his “full backing”.

“The fighters acted exactly as expected of them – terrorists should die!” he wrote on X.

A Reuters journalist captured images from near the scene. Pic: Reuters
Image:
A Reuters journalist captured images from near the scene. Pic: Reuters

‘An outright extrajudicial killing’

But Palestinians and human rights groups say Israeli investigations in such incidents yield few results, with Israeli troops rarely prosecuted.

The Palestinian prime minister’s office in Ramallah also accused Israel of executing the men “in cold blood”, calling the shooting “an outright extrajudicial killing in blatant violation of international humanitarian law”.

Yuli Novak, the executive director of B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights organisation, said: “The execution documented today is the result of an accelerated process of dehumanisation of Palestinians and the complete abandonment of their lives by the Israeli regime.

“In Israel, there is no mechanism that acts to stop the killing of Palestinians or is capable of prosecuting those responsible.”

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Israel’s military has scaled up its military operations in the West Bank since the October 7 Hamas attack, which triggered the war in Gaza.

Since October 2023, Israeli forces and settlers have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians in the West Bank, according to B’Tselem, which said the perpetrators were “granted full impunity by Israel”.

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Trump says land operations against Venezuela drugs gangs to start ‘very soon’

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Trump says land operations against Venezuela drugs gangs to start 'very soon'

Donald Trump has warned US action against suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers will move to the land “very soon”.

American forces have carried out at least 21 strikes on boats it claims were carrying narcotics to its shores over the last few months.

The US has accused the South American country’s president, Nicolas Maduro, of being involved in the drugs trade – a claim he denies.

Venezuela has said the attacks, which have killed more than 80 people, amount to murder.

Mr Trump made the comments while in Florida for Thanksgiving. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Mr Trump made the comments while in Florida for Thanksgiving. Pic: Reuters

‘We warned them,’ says Trump

America’s most advanced aircraft carrier is among the ships that have been deployed to the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific as part of Operation Southern Spear.

Mr Trump said on Thursday he was preparing to significantly ramp up the response.

“You probably noticed that people aren’t wanting to be delivering by sea, and we’ll be starting to stop them by land also,” he told military service members in a call.

“The land is easier, but that’s going to start very soon.”

“We warned them to stop sending poison to our country,” Mr Trump added.

The US has released videos of boats being targeted, but hasn’t provided evidence – such as photos of their cargo – to support the smuggling claims.

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Three killed as US strikes another alleged drug boat

Even if the boats are cartel vessels, Sky’s chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay says the final destination for the drugs is likely to be Europe and West Africa.

The Pentagon has sought to justify the strikes by labelling the drug gangs as foreign terrorist organisations – putting them on par with the likes of al Qaeda and Hamas.

This week it formally designated Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns) as such, and said the group was headed by Mr Maduro and “other high-ranking individuals” from his regime.

Another Venezuelan drugs group, Tren de Aragua, was designated a terror organisation by the US in January.

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Venezuelan president dances to speech remix

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The US-Venezuela crisis explained

Mr Maduro – seen by most countries as a dictator who’s cheated elections – has accused the US of “fabricating” a war to overthrow him and install a more favourable government.

Venezuelan officials have also claimed Mr Trump’s true motivation is access to the country’s plentiful oil reserves and other natural resources such as gold and diamonds.

Experts say Mr Maduro, 63, could use oil as a bargaining chip in any future negotiations.

Mr Trump has said previously he would be open to talks – but that prospect seems unlikely, with the Venezuelan leader wielding a sword this week as he vowed to “defend every inch of this blessed land from imperialist threat”.

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Swiss tourist killed in Australia shark attack – as partner in critical condition after fighting to save her

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Swiss tourist killed in Australia shark attack - as partner in critical condition after fighting to save her

A Swiss woman has died in a shark attack in Australia – with her partner in a critical condition after trying to save her.

It happened on Thursday at Kylies Beach in Crowdy Bay, near Port Macquarie, about 218 miles (350km) north of Sydney.

Police said a passer-by who made a tourniquet to stem the man’s bleeding had probably saved his life.

Switzerland’s foreign affairs office didn’t name the victims – who are both believed to be in their 20s – but confirmed they were Swiss citizens.

The pair are said to have arrived the night before, camping nearby before going for a swim with dolphins at dawn – a time when sharks are more active.

The man suffered major wounds to his thigh after trying to fight off the shark and dragging his partner more than 50m back to shore, reported Sky News Australia.

The woman died on the sand but call handlers instructed the passer-by how to fashion a tourniquet from a swimsuit in order to treat the man.

Early assessments indicate a bull shark may be responsible. File pic: iStock
Image:
Early assessments indicate a bull shark may be responsible. File pic: iStock

New South Wales Ambulance superintendent Josh Smyth said the backpacker’s quick thinking was “heroic” and created valuable time for them to reach the remote, unpatrolled beach.

Sky News Australia said initial indications are a large, mature bull shark may be responsible.

The beach has been closed while drones scour the area and drumlines have been laid in the hope of capturing the shark.

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Authorities are also reportedly reviewing “harrowing footage” captured by the couple before the attack that could reveal more about what happened.

The man remains in a critical condition after being airlifted to hospital.

The attack comes two months after a man was killed by a shark, believed to be a great white, while surfing at a popular Sydney beach.

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