Dame Diana encourages the creation of a “pilot project to create safe consumption facilities”; across the UK Photo: UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor
Labour should consider creating «safe consumption» rooms for drug users across the UK, one of the party's most senior MPs has suggested.
Dame Diana Johnson , chairman of the House Home Affairs Committee, said pilot schemes should be developed to see if the idea would work.
Her remarks come as Scotland, which has Britain's highest drug death rate, approved the country's first such facility on Wednesday.
A £2.3 million consumption room will open in east Glasgow as part of a new approach to combating the spread of drugs in the city.
Under the scheme, users will be able to take substances such as heroin and crack cocaine under the supervision of medical professionals.
1602 drug deaths in Scotland
Dame Diana was asked whether she would put pressure on Sir Keir Starmer to approve such facilities in England if the Labor Party wins the election.
She said the Home Affairs Committee, a cross-party group MPs suggested this to ministers in a report last month.
«One of our recommendations to the government was to set up a pilot project for safe consumption facilities,» she told the BBC.
“We've been very clear… that this would be useful in building the evidence base as to whether this would work in our country.
“It's already happening in Europe. What we need to see is whether this really provides… value for money for tackling drug use.»
«That's not our policy at all.»
In its report, the committee said the government should support pilot projects. «across the UK where local authorities and stakeholders believe it is necessary.»
It added that ministers should «amend legislation and work with partners» to create projects that will «provide evidence-based » for their use in the UK as a whole.»
The Telegraph understands Sir Keir will not allow safe consumption premises to be created in England if he becomes the next Prime Minister.
The source insisted the idea was «not our policy at all» and that Labor would not do it. I cannot change the law to allow such facilities to be set up in England.
The Scottish venture was given the green light only after the country's top lawyer said it would not be in the «public interest» to prosecute those enjoyed it.
As a result of the decision by Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain SC, local NHS and council chiefs decided to approve the project on Wednesday.
The organizers sought advice from the police and lawyers to prevent drug addicts from doing this. be arrested as they made their way to the reception room.
Suzanne Millar, chief executive of the Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership, said there were still significant «challenges» to overcome before the facility opened.
“The work we have to do now is ongoing work with our colleagues at Police Scotland and they really are key partners for us,” she said.
'It will cause untold harm'
Suella Braverman, the home secretary, criticized the plans and said the government «will not change our policy on personal use of illicit drugs.»
At a meeting with the Scottish government in the summer She said the SNP proposals were «irresponsible and would cause untold harm to our areas.»
«We are focused on protecting people and preventing lives being ruined, targeting gangs and stopping the supply of drugs from overseas,» she said. she said.
“We have absolutely no intention of decriminalizing illegal drug use, and I think the Scottish National Party should focus its efforts on the powers it has, such as reforming the health care system for the Scottish people.”< /p>
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Scotland has the highest drug death rate per capita in Europe, with 1,051 people dying from drug addiction and overdoses last year.
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