MURDERERS should face the death penalty according to UKIP leadership hopeful Bill Etheridge.

The Sedgley councillor wants those who commit the worst crimes to pay the "ultimate penalty".

Cllr Etheridge, who hopes to lead the purple party following Nigel Farage's resignation, believes the time has come to have a "full and open debate" about the death penalty.

He wants discussion to culminate in a referendum about whether to reinstate the UK death penalty, which was abolished in 1969 His comments have sparked a wave of controversy, with West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson, saying: "I am surprised that Bill wants Britain to be more like Iran, North Korea and Uganda."

But the West Midlands MEP said he would only support the death penalty for "the most evil and treacherous of crimes out there", adding: "Time and time again, in recent years, terrible crimes have been committed and the public left with no real sense of justice.

“For my part I believe that the very worst crimes deserve the ultimate penalty and I propose that those who murder and rape children, those that commit sadistic acts of murder and torture and those that commit acts of murder through terrorism against our country or our people should be subject to the death penalty at the discretion of the presiding judge.

“I would vigorously promote this line of thinking in a debate and trust the British people to make the decision on this ultimate matter of conscience.”

Cllr Etheridge also wants to introduce a 'three strikes' policy, which would see violent offenders sentenced to life in prison on their third offence.

He said it would be a "strong deterrent" to prevent people from committing crime, adding: "Let’s think of safety, lets think of freedom from the fear of crime. We need a serious focus on law and order."