§ Mr. BurgonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs at what stage it is Her Majesty's Government's policy to make representations against the use of the death penalty in cases of British nationals being tried overseas. [151836]
§ Mr. WilsonOur overriding objective is to avoid the execution of British nationals. We will now express our opposition to the death penalty and its use on a British national at whatever stage and level is judged appropriate from the moment when the imposition of a death sentence on a British national becomes a possibility. Our previous policy was to make these representations only when the judicial process had been exhausted.
We have already taken action under the new policy in the case of Krishna Maharaj. Baroness Scotland, the Minister responsible for Consular matters, has written to the Florida State Attorney setting out the UK's opposition to the death penalty and requesting that the death sentence not be pursued in his case.