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Seven in 10 people say those convicted of riot-related offences should get tougher sentences than they would normally expect The British public strongly supports tougher sentencing for those involved in rioting, a Guardian/ICM poll has found. Some 70% of respondents believe that those convicted of riot-related offences should receive a tougher sentence than they might ordinarily expect. The severity of sentences has been the focus of much debate after two men were jailed for four years after using Facebook in a failed attempt to incite a riot and a woman jailed for receiving stolen shorts was freed on appeal . The poll also showed that support for the Conservatives in August remained steady at 37%, the same as July and one point ahead of Labour. The Liberal Democrats were up one point to 17%. David Cameron has championed severe punishments for rioters, telling the House of Commons that anyone convicted “should expect to go to jail”, and threw his support behind the sentencing in the Facebook case, saying the court decided “to send a tough message and I think it’s very good that courts are able to do that”. The prime minister has faced criticism for his stance, however, with MPs, lawyers and campaigners warning against “disproportionate” sentencing. The Guardian/ICM poll asked: “Do you think that people convicted of theft or other offences during the recent riots in London and elsewhere should or should not receive a tougher prison sentence than they might ordinarily expect in order to set an example of them?” Of the respondents, 70% believed they should receive a tougher sentence, while 25% believed they should not, with 5% saying they did not know. The survey found those who would vote Conservative were more likely than Labour and Lib Dem voters to favour tougher action (82% versus 65% and 60% respectively), while tougher sentencing is also preferred by more women (74%) than men (66%). The poll showed that those in social group DE were far more likely to think rioters should receive tougher sentencing than those in the higher income AB group. In the DE group 80% of people believed those involved should receive harsher sentences, while in the AB group only 64% were of the same opinion. Last week the leading criminal barrister John Cooper QC warned that judges and magistrates had a duty “not to be influenced by angry Britain”, describing some of the sentences handed down already as “disproportionate and somewhat hysterical”. Senior Liberal Democrats also urged caution, opening up a rift in the coalition. The Lib Dem peer Lord Macdonald, who led the prosecution service in England and Wales for five years, warned that the courts risked being swept up in a “collective loss of proportion” , passing jail terms that lack “humanity or justice”. His fellow peer Lord Carlile, the barrister who was until this year the government’s independent adviser on terrorism strategy, warned against ministerial interference in the judicial process, arguing that “just filling up prisons” would not prevent future problems. The former party leader Sir Menzies Campbell said it was important that “political influence is not directed at the judicial system”. “With all due deference to the prime minister, politicians should not be either cheering or booing in the matter of sentencing,” he said. • ICM Research interviewed a random sample of 1,004 adults aged 18+ by telephone on 19-21 August 2011. Interviews were conducted across the country and the results have been weighted to the profile of all adults. ICM is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. UK riots Opinion polls Adam Gabbatt guardian.co.uk