Wes Streeting says Angela Rayner’s ‘shoot terrorists first’ remarks were correct

Wes Streeting has said deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner was correct to say that to police ought to shoot first and “ask questions second” when confronting a terrorist.

Streeting, Labour’s shadow health secretary argued that it was “plainly obvious” police should be permitted to use lethal force.

Last week Rayner has suggested her approach to issues of law and order are “quite hardline” on law and order, commenting on a BBC podcast that it was sensible to: “Shoot your terrorists and ask questions second.”

Rayner stressed that her stance was not “soft left” on all topics, commenting during the Political Party podcast: “On certain things I’m not, because on things like law and order I am quite hardline. I’m like, shoot your terrorists and ask questions second, if I’m honest. Sorry – that’s the most controversial thing I’ve ever said! But on the economy I’m really radical.

“On law and order, I think if you are being terrorised by the local thug, then yeah I want a copper to come and sort them out. You should be hardline on things like that. You can’t pigeonhole me.

“I said that to Jeremy. Don’t ever put me in that position because you won’t like me. We’re on a different page on things like that, but that’s the beauty of the Labour Party for me.”

When quizzed on shoot to kill in 2015, erstwhile Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn- whose frontbench Rayner served- on said: “I’m not happy with a shoot-to-kill policy in general”, arguing that it could be “quite dangerous” and “counter-productive”.

Former shadow home secretary and fellow Labour MP Diane Abbot hit back at her colleague, tweeting: “Is Angela suggesting a mandatory death sentence for suspected (but not convicted) ‘terrorists’?”