Keir’s clash with Khan over decriminalising of cannabis in capital
Londoners set to be spared prosecution ... in favour of speeding-style courses instead
Sir Keir Starmer yesterday slapped down proposals from London mayor Sadiq Khan to decriminalise cannabis in parts of the capital, insisting he did not support changing the law.
Young people caught with the drug in three London boroughs will avoid prosecution and will instead be offered a speeding-style awareness course or counselling under the pilot set to launch later this year if funding is approved.
The trial, if approved by the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), will apply to people aged between 18 and 24 in the boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich and Bexley.
The Labour leader said he had not seen details of the scheme but distanced himself from any suggestion he supported decriminalisation.
When asked about the proposals, first reported in The Daily Telegraph, Sir Keir said: ‘On the drugs legislation, i’ve said a number of times and i will say again: i’m not in favour of changing the law or decriminalisation. i’m very clear about that.
‘i haven’t seen the detail of the proposals that you’ve reported on. Obviously we’ll look at those, but i’m very clear that we’re not in favour of changing the drugs laws.’
A spokesman from the office of the Labour mayor of London said it was misleading to say that Mr Khan was decriminalising drugs and he did not have the power to do so.
The pilot would solely apply to cannabis and was based on an award-winning Thames Valley model, he added. A similar scheme, named Divert, was rolled out in the West Midlands last year with a £60,000 budget.
The mayor of London’s spokesman said: ‘The idea of the scheme, which is already used by other police forces across the country, would be to divert young people who are found with a small amount of cannabis away from the criminal justice system and instead provide help and support. This has been shown to reduce reoffending.
‘reducing crime is the mayor’s top priority and he will continue to explore and implement the most effective solutions to help to divert young people away from drug use and crime for good.’
Mr Khan’s proposals come less than a month after Boris Johnson announced a crackdown on recreational drug use. The Prime Minister told middle-class users he will not sit ‘idly by’ and let them fund criminals, warning that under new curbs they faced being stripped of their passports and driving licences.
He added: ‘We are looking at doing things to tackle those so-called lifestyle drug users who don’t think they are part of the problem. in the end, all the demand is helping to create the problem.
‘The 300,000 problem drugs users, you’ve got to deal with what is going on there, you’ve got to make sure they are given rehab, you’ve got to come down tough on the county lines gangs, but you’ve also got to think about the demand, the economic advantage that is given to the gangs by the lifestyle users as well.’
Sir Keir, a former director of public prosecutions, has previously said he does not think the decriminalisation of drugs should be pursued in England.