To mark the fiftieth anniversary of the last execution in Britain today a newly-elected UKIP MEP has called for its reintroduction.

Louise Bours, who represents North West England in the European Parliament, said there was no ‘ethical reason’ to keep child killers and police murderers alive.

The remarks, which come as anti-death penalty activists welcomed today’s milestone, are likely to spark controversy.

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Louise Bours, appearing on BBC's Question Time alongside footballer Joey Barton (right), has called for the reintroduction of the death penalty

HALF A CENTURY SINCE BRITAIN'S LAST EXECUTION The final executions in Britain were carried out on August 13, 1964. Peter Allen and Gwynne Evans were hanged simultaneously in Liverpool and Manchester for the murder of John West - a 53 year-old van driver, who died in a bloody heap at his home after being bludgeoned with an iron bar. Their crime was quickly exposed after a neighbour was woken up by a suspicious noise in Mr West's house and looked out to see a car disappearing down the street. Evans made the fatal mistake of leaving his raincoat at the scene. It only took a matter of days for police to track down and arrest the killers. They were found guilty in June, had their appeals rejected on July 21 and were hanged three weeks later. Advertisement

It comes as a poll shows falling support for capital punishment – although the public are still narrowly in favour of its reintroduction.

Ms Bours, UKIP’s health spokesman, claimed today that the public were ‘fed up’ with the criminal justice system.

She said: ‘The death penalty won’t bring back a tortured and murdered child, but it seems natural justice that the family will know the killer has paid the ultimate price and isn’t still breathing when their child is not.

‘An innocent child has more of a right to life than the monster that took their life, so I see no ethical reason why we are obliged to keep him alive.

‘Why should double cop-killer Dale Cregan be kept alive, after shooting them more than 8 times and using a hand-grenade. His crime wasn’t impulsive or emotional, he lured them in with a fake 999 call and he’d killed two other people prior to that.’

She added: ‘Paul Bone, the father of murdered WPC Fiona Bone agrees that the death penalty should be brought back, and as his life has been devastated by a cold-blooded killer, I think his views should be listened to.

‘The killers of Lee Rigby despise the UK and want to kill us all, yet we have to use tax-payers money to keep them alive and well in prison, and look after their ‘human-rights’.

Despite strong support for the death penalty among UKIP supporters it is not the party’s official policy.

But Ms Bours said: ‘The country has not had a debate on this issue for 10 years.

‘UKIP believe in direct democracy, which means referendums on major issues, where the public demand one.

‘If there were a referendum, I would support a return of the death penalty for certain types of crimes.’

A YouGov poll released to coincide with the anniversary of the last death penalty in Britain has revealed that 45 per cent of the public are in favour of capital punishment – with 39 per cent against.

A similar poll four years ago found 51 per cent of the public favoured the reintroduction of capital punishment.

Opposition to the death penalty’s reintroduction is strongest among 18- to 24-year-olds – with 52 per cent against.

UKIP's Ms Bours said the notorious killers of Drummer Lee Rigy - Michael Adebolajo (left) and Michael Adebowale (right) - should be sentenced to death

The strongest support for reintroduction was among Ukip voters, the over-60s and the poor.

The country was split – 42 per cent to 42 per cent - over whether it was a good or bad thing that Britain had abolished the death penalty.

More than half – 57 per cent - of 18- to 24-year-olds thought abolition was a good thing.