Bridget Phillipson, the UK's equalities minister, has called US plans to execute former army major Nidal Malik Hasan by firing squad "disturbing", while reiterating Britain's opposition to capital punishment.
Hasan is scheduled for execution on December 3 following his 2009 conviction for a mass shooting at Fort Hood military base that killed 13 people and injured 32 others. The execution will be livestreamed, according to US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who told Real America's Voice that the military "will make sure that people are able to watch it."
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Phillipson said she was "proud that our country did away with the death penalty a very, very long time ago" and that she finds the planned execution "rather disturbing". She reiterated the Labour government's opposition to capital punishment globally.
When pressed on whether Britain should intervene, Phillipson stated the matter rests with the US government. "It's a matter for the US government," she said. "They are a close ally, does that mean that we support everything the US government does? No, but that's not for us to involve ourselves in what are ultimately questions of US domestic policy."
A UN spokesperson echoed concerns on Friday, describing the execution as "abhorrent" and stating it "can constitute a form of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, or punishment".
Robert Jenrick, Reform UK's economic spokesman, also weighed in at a Westminster press conference on Friday. While acknowledging the severity of Hasan's crimes, Jenrick warned: "I don't think an execution should ever be a form of entertainment, but it's a choice for them how they conduct this."
President Donald Trump drew applause at a White House event on Friday when referring to the planned execution. "Death penalty through firing squad, and he deserves it," Trump said. "Killed and wounded many, many people. A maniac."
This will be the first military execution in the US for over 65 years.