THOSE who undermine the UK “through extreme EU loyalty” should be tried for treason, a pro-Brexit Tory MEP has suggested.
David Campbell Bannerman, a former Ukip deputy leader, made the extraordinary statement on Twitter – sparking a flood of criticism.
He wrote: “It is about time we brought the Treason Act (of 1372) up to date and made it apply to those seeking to destroy or undermine the British state.
“That means extreme jihadis. It also means those undermining the UK through extreme EU loyalty.”
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He later deleted the tweet and reworded the last sentence to read: “It also means those in future actively working undemocratically against UK through extreme EU loyalty.”
It is about time we brought the Treason Act up to date and made it apply to those seeking to destroy or undermine the British state. That means extreme jihadis. It also means those in future actively working undemocratically against U.K. through extreme EU loyalty pic.twitter.com/CXSPCJqjOz
— David C Bannerman (@DCBMEP) July 25, 2018
Mr Campbell Bannerman has been the MEP for the East of England since 2009.
His tweet was referencing the front page of the Daily Telegraph, which quotes a number of experts arguing treason laws should be updated and used to prosecute jihadists who have fought in Syria.
- READ MORE: Theresa May takes personal control of Brexit as she confirms UK will abide by EU laws till 2020
No one has been prosecuted for treason – which covers the most extreme crimes against the state – in the UK since William Joyce, nicknamed Lord Haw-Haw, was executed in 1946 for assisting the Nazis.
In Scotland, there have been no convictions for over a century.
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