Welsh join Scots with move to ban smacking

THERESA May yesterday faced mounting pressure to outlaw smacking in England after Welsh politicians took the first steps towards criminalising corporal punishment of children by their parents.

The move means that smacking is now likely to be banned in both Wales and Scotland by the end of the year, leaving the English law which permits it looking increasingly isolated. A three-month consultation was launched in Wales yesterday on a law that would remove the long-standing legal defence for parents, which says they can use ‘reasonable’ force to punish their children.

The Scottish Government has thrown its weight behind a similar move in Scotland.

In England, ministers continue to hold out against a chorus of complaints over the legal right to smack from pressure groups and charities. But advocates of the right to smack say the Government should resist attempts to intrude further into family life.

The current law says parents can use corporal punishment and cannot be convicted of common assault as long as they do no physical or mental harm – usually taken to mean they must not cause injury.