Tom Tugendhat, a former Lieutenant colonel who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, made the comments following revelations from former Kurdish militia fighter Macer Gifford that just 10 percent of returning jihadis had faced court. Mr Tugendhat has been a Tory MP since 2015. He told Emily Maitlis: “Standing up for UK interests is what Home Secretaries are paid to do – that’s why I have been urging Home Secretary after Home Secretary to introduce a updated treason act.”
Ms Patel has replaced Sajid Javid as Home Secretary as Boris Johnson put together his new cabinet.
Since Mr Tugenhadt began chairing the committee in 2017, the role has also been held by Amber Rudd.
He criticised current legislation, saying: “The existing one is so out of date, it’s not even slightly workable.”
Mr Tugenhadt added: “Once they have faced whatever punishment the Syrian or Iraqi authorities are going to bring, should they return to the UK, we can’t except in the most exceptional circumstances, turn a blind eye, these are people who have quite literally sought to raise an army against us, they failed in the very early stages, thank God, but that’s what they tried to do.
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“I see no reason why the British people should be exposed to the threat of them running around the UK.”
The BBC reported Mr Tugenhadt last year joined Labour MP Khalid Mahmoud in calling for an update to the 1351 treason act.
No person in the UK can be executed for high treason but nobody has been even been tried for treason since the Second World War.
Mr Tugenhadt and Mr Mahmood had called for “acts of betrayal” such as fighting for ISIS to become specific crimes.
The Treason Act 1351 made it illegal to plot or imagine the death of the monarch, their spouse or heir, declare war on the Crown or work with the King’s enemies.
Counterfeiting the Great or Privy Seal or coinage as well as killing the Lord Chancellor, the now abolished Lord Treasurer or any justices whilst they are performing duties is also covered by the act.
It was introduced in the reign of King Edward III.
The act which was written in Norman French is still in force in the country, 668 years later.
It is a reserved mater for the Scottish Parliament, meaning the devolved legislature cannot modify the law.
