Don’t smack your kids on visit to Scotland

ENGLISH parents who smack their children in Scotland could be charged under draconian new laws.

Nicola Sturgeon yesterday gave the green light to a new law outlawing the ‘ physical punishment’ of children north of the border.

It would mean parents from the rest of the UK who chastise their children on a visit to Scotland could feel the full force of the law. And it will increase pressure to enforce a total ban on smacking in England. Last night Norman Wells, from the Family Education Trust, said the new Scottish law could cause ‘unnecessary trauma’ to loving families.

‘It is parents who bear the responsibility for the care and nurture of their children, not the state,’ he said.

Lowri Turner, of the Be Reasonable campaign, added: ‘A gentle smack on the back of the legs from a loving mum is not the same as beating up your kids and it’s just so patronising to parents to suggest otherwise.’