Majority of British public support bringing back the death penalty, shock new poll finds

Opposition to capital punishment has fallen to 32 per cent, down from 37 per cent in the previous poll.

Millennials showed the strongest support for reintroducing the death penalty, with 58 per cent in favour and only 27 per cent opposed.

The shift in support has been particularly dramatic among Generation X (aged 44-59), whose net support increased by 16 percentage points.

Generation Z (18-26) remain the most divided, with 45 per cent supporting and 42 per cent opposing the death penalty.

Baby boomers largely back the measure, with 58 per cent in favour, while half of over-75s support its return.

Support for capital punishment varies significantly depending on the crime, with the strongest backing for the most serious offences.

READ NEXT:

• Are YOU to be silenced? Five recommendations from Home Office report sparking free speech fears
• Rochdale grooming gang trial COLLAPSES after jury discharged
• Ben Habib warns Britain on brink of collapse as country undergoes ‘population replacement’

Seven in 10 Britons would support the death penalty for serial murder or terrorism resulting in death.

A majority of 56 per cent backed its use for rape cases, while 51 per cent supported it for the murder of police officers.

General murder cases received 46 per cent support for capital punishment.

Notably, one in 20 members of the public even supported using the death penalty for shoplifting.

The poll follows the recent sentencing of Southport murderer Rudakubana, who received a 52-year minimum term for his violent crimes last July.

Nearly six in 10 Britons (59 per cent) believed the sentence was too lenient, while only two per cent thought it too harsh.

Luke Tryl, executive director at More in Common, said: "If the terrible crimes committed in Southport trigger a national debate about the death penalty then the public's starting point will be one of support for its reintroduction."

Support for capital punishment also shows stark political fault lines, with 79 per cent of Reform UK voters backing its return, compared to just 37 per cent of Liberal Democrat supporters.

Conservative voters largely favour the measure, with 62 per cent supporting and 28 per cent opposing, while Labour voters are more divided, with 49 per cent in favour and 43 per cent against.

Downing Street has ruled out bringing back capital punishment, pointing to how it has been consistently rejected in Parliament in recent decades.