CONFIDENTIAL
decisions regarding the death penalty must be left to
elected legislatures where they exist and that so long as
the penalty is retained in any territory this is the right
and justifiable policy to follow as regards the exercise of
the Prerogative of Mercy. This would of course mean that
Ministers would have to be ready to contemplate that in
particular cases the Secretary of State should decline to
advise The Queen to reprieve a condemned man.
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CONFIDENTIAL