Starmer rules out reform of UK drug laws under Labour

Drugs would not be decriminalised by a Labour government, Sir Keir Starmer has said. Asked if he would change or devolve legislation on illicit substances, Mr Starmer said he would not.

He suggested a recent announcement by Scotland’s Lord Advocate on diversion from prosecution of those caught in possession of small amounts of drugs needed to be further thought through.

The Scottish Government wants to treat the country’s drugs death rate as a public health matter, including the use of safe consumption rooms. Scotland has the highest rate of drug-induced death in Europe. A total of 1,339 deaths last year were attributed to drugs, up from 1,264 – up 5.9% from 2019.

Dundee has one of the highest drug death rates in Scotland, after 57 people died from drugs in 2020 — a rate of 38.3 deaths per 100,000 people.

Mr Starmer accused the SNP of using independence to distract from their government’s “appalling” drug death rate, slips in education and child protection legislation.

Asked if he supports the Lord Advocate’s advice, Mr Starmer said: “The Lord Advocate has set up principles and we have not seen the detail yet, which will come out shortly.

“I do not think what happens in Scotland should be a general application across the UK. One of the benefits of devolution is to allow each of the nations to look separately in context to the challenges they have.

“But if I was prime minister of the UK, I would not be introducing that.

“But the benefits of devolution allows Scotland to look at that issue. I’d like to see the detail of what the Lord Advocate is saying.

“These are very broad principles in terms of the Lord Advocate’s position.

“I know there is a lot in the detail that matters...where is the discretion? What are the exceptions? What happens in circumstances x,y,z? And these are all of the unanswered questions.

“In my experience in prosecutorial policy, when you look at the detail it is much more complicated than the overall principles.”

SNP MP Alison Thewliss said: “It’s clear that UK drugs policy is not working for Scotland and we desperately need a fresh approach which doesn’t focus on convictions, but rather support, treatment and reducing stigma.

“The proposed change in approach towards possession for individual use is hugely important. It will be a key component of treating drug abuse as a public health issue rather than one of criminality, and has been widely welcomed by politicians, frontline organisations and charities across Scotland.

“However, drugs policy remains reserved to Westminster and Tory ministers who have consistently blocked plans to take vital action and dismissed overwhelming evidence in favour of measures such as drug consumption rooms.

“If Keir Starmer is serious about tackling this issue, he should recognise how the Misuse of Drugs Act is entirely unfit for purpose.

“If he won’t urge the UK government to use its powers to tackle problem drug use, I urge him to join the SNP in calling for the Scottish Parliament to be given the powers to act instead.”