Capital punishment in the United Kingdom espionage from "all spies for the enemy" to spies on naval ships or bases. Later, the Armed Forces Act 1981 abolished the death penalty for espionage. (The Official Secrets Act 1911 had created another offence of espionage which carried a maximum sentence of fourteen years.) Beheading was abolished as a method of execution for treason in 1973. Hanging, however, remained available until 1998 when, under a House of Lords amendment to the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, proposed by Lord Archer of Sandwell, the death penalty was abolished for treason and piracy with violence, replacing it with a discretionary maximum
Human rights in the Isle of Man complies with the Convention, a declaration of incompatibility can be made. This is a sign to Tynwald that the law should be changed, but there is no obligation for Tynwald to do so. If Tynwald do not amend the law, then the applicant can take their case to the ECHR. Under pressure from the UK government, and to meet ECHR requirements, the death penalty was abolished in 1993 on the Isle of Man; however the last execution had not taken place since 1872. The Isle of Man was the last place in the British Isles to formally abolish the death