British jihadis should be 'brought to justice' instead of being killed, Shami Chakrabarti claims

British jihadis should be "brought to justice" instead of being targeted by drones and killed, Labour's most senior legal shadow minister has claimed.

Baroness Chakrabarti, the shadow attorney general, said she was “very disappointed” by comments made by Gavin Williamson, the Defence Secretary, after he suggested British terrorists who remain in Syria and Iraq would be hunted down and killed.

But Lady Chakrabarti told Sky News’ Sunday with Niall Paterson programme that Mr Williamson’s suggestion of targeting jihadists with drone airstrikes was “appalling”.

Asked for her opinion on Mr Williamson’s suggestion, she said: “I was very disappointed in that.

“Let’s be clear, if you are on the battlefield you have to fight whoever is opposing you on the battlefield.”

But when told that Mr Williamson had appeared to suggest there was a kill list of British jihadists, Lady Chakrabarti said: “If he is suggesting targeted assassinations of criminals who should instead be brought to justice, that is appalling and we do not want to hear a Defence Secretary abrogate the rule of law because the rule of law is what brave men and women who join our armed forces and put their lives at risk, that’s what they do it for, for the rule of law at home and abroad.”

Mr Williamson said in an interview with the Daily Mail last week that jihadists originally from the UK who have travelled to Syria and Iraq and remain there would be targeted.

He said that a "dead terrorist can't cause any harm to Britain".

Mr Williamson was accused of pursuing a policy that "belongs in a Netflix series" after suggesting Britons who have fought for Islamic State (IS) should never be allowed to come back to the UK.

His comments sparked widespread outcry as critics questioned whether Mr Williamson was endorsing a potential breach of humanitarian law.

However, Mr Williamson refused to back down as he subsequently claimed he believed the British public backed his position.

He told the Daily Mail: “The British people want to make sure that our streets are safe.

“The British people are incredibly proud of our Armed Forces, the work they do - making sure that the people who are a threat to this country are not able to continue to threaten this country.”

Henry Bolton, the Ukip leader, said the comments made by Lady Chakrabarti, who as Shami Chakrabarti was director of the human rights group Liberty, demonstrated that she “doesn’t live in the real world”.