Smacking children should be banned in England and Northern Ireland, doctors say

Published

1 year ago

April 17, 2024

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Smacking children should be banned throughout the UK as current laws are “unjust and dangerously vague” – making it harder to identify when youngsters are being abused, children’s doctors have said.

In a report, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) is urging ministers in England and Northern Ireland to follow the lead of Wales, where lawmakers banned any type of corporal punishment including smacking, hitting, slapping and shaking in March 2022.

A similar ban has been in place in Scotland since November 2020.

Professor Andrew Rowland, a consultant paediatrician and RCPCH officer for child protection, said: “The laws around physical punishment as they stand are unjust and dangerously vague.

“They create a grey area in which some forms of physical punishment may be lawful, and some are not.”

He said he was “regularly faced with situations where it is alleged that physical punishment has been used against a child” but that the “vague nature of the laws make it extremely challenging” to talk to families about what the rules are and therefore more difficult to talk about the best interests of their children.

“This lack of legislative clarity can even add an extra layer of complexity when trying to identify cases of child abuse,” he said.

Prof Rowland said society’s views on punishment had changed over time, with a majority of adults agreeing that physical punishment of children was unacceptable.

He added “there must be no grey areas when it comes to safeguarding children” and changing the laws in England and Northern Ireland “will give us absolute clarity”.

Bess Herbert, advocacy specialist at international campaigning organisation End Corporal Punishment, said: “I hope that England and Northern Ireland will soon join the ever-growing number of countries that have taken this fundamental step in protecting children, upholding their rights, and supporting healthy and positive child raising.”

The NSPCC’s Joanna Barrett said children in England and Northern Ireland “continue to be exposed to a legal loophole that can undermine their basic right to protection under the guise of ‘reasonable chastisement'”.

But Simon Calvert, from the Be Reasonable Campaign, claimed calls for a law change “are motivated by ideology, not by clinical evidence” and elected representatives must reject them.

“The current law strongly prohibits all violence against children, while protecting parents from prosecution for innocent and harmless parenting decisions,” he said.

A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland department of health said changing the law will require the agreement of the Northern Ireland Executive.

“The Department of Health continues to play an important role in supporting parents and carers of children and young people and in particular to promote positive parenting behaviours,” they added.

A department for education spokesperson said: “Any form of violence towards a child is completely unacceptable and we have clear laws in place to prevent it. It is the responsibility of the parent to discipline their children, appropriately and within the boundaries of the law.

“We are supporting teachers, social workers and all safeguarding professionals to spot the signs of abuse or neglect more quickly, and our statutory framework for safeguarding children in England makes clear what organisations should do to keep children safe.”

UK

Man arrested at Luton Airport in connection with fires at properties linked to Sir Keir Starmer

Published

2 hours ago

May 17, 2025

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Man arrested at Luton Airport in connection with fires at properties linked to Sir Keir Starmer

A second man has been arrested in connection with fires at two properties and a car linked to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

The 26-year-old was arrested around 1.45pm at Luton Airport on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life.

The arrest was made by counter terrorism officers. The man has been taken into police custody in London.

It comes after a Ukrainian man, 21, was charged with three counts of arson with intent to endanger life.

Roman Lavrynovych appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday and was remanded in custody.

Officers from the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command led the investigation because of the connections to the prime minister.

Emergency services were called to a fire in the early hours of Monday at a house in Kentish Town, north London, where Sir Keir lived with his family before the election.

Damage was caused to the property’s entrance, but nobody was hurt.

A car was also set alight in the same street last Thursday.

There was another blaze at the front door of a house converted into flats in Islington, also linked to the prime minister, on Sunday.

One person was taken to safety via an internal staircase by crews wearing breathing apparatus.

UK

Crystal Palace celebrate historic FA Cup win after victory over Manchester City

Published

4 hours ago

May 17, 2025

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Crystal Palace celebrate historic FA Cup win after victory over Manchester City

Crystal Palace are celebrating a historic win in the FA Cup after a 1-0 victory against Manchester City at Wembley.

It’s the south London club’s first major trophy – and third time lucky after losing two previous finals they have played in. The win also means Palace have qualified for next season’s Europa League.

Eberechi Eze put his side 1-0 up with the game’s only goal in the 16th minute.

Man City were given a chance to equalise when they were awarded a penalty in the 33rd minute, but Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson – who had earlier escaped a red card for a handball outside the box – saved Omar Marmoush’s spot kick.

It briefly seemed the south London team had gone 2-0 up after a 58th-minute strike from Daniel Munoz but the goal was quickly ruled offside.

They then held onto their 1-0 lead until the final whistle, which came after an agonising 10 minutes of injury time.

Oliver Glasner’s team were the underdogs despite Manchester City having had a difficult season in the Premier League.

Pep Guardiola’s side also lost to their neighbours and rivals Manchester United in last year’s cup final.

‘It’s all about spirit’

Palace goalscorer Eze said he had “no words” as he celebrated with his team mates.

“I can only thank God,” he told ITV. “This is special, this is what dreams are made of, for this club as well. Who would have thought we could do it?

“We’ve made history today. The tactics were good but it’s all about spirit. That’s energy, that’s everyone fighting together and doing what we had to do today.”

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