Fury at ‘interference’ on smacking

A UNITED Nations human rights panel sparked fury last night after demanding Britain ban all smacking of children.

A committee of experts said the current ‘reasonable chastisement’ laws were wrong and should be changed.

But campaigners said the UN panel – which includes representatives from countries with severe human rights problems such as Uganda, Algeria and Egypt – should ‘stop interfering’.

Margaret Morrissey, from campaign group ParentsOutloud, said: ‘Nobody is condoning child abuse. No child should be slapped or hit excessively.

‘But to tap a child when he has done something wrong and put himself in danger is going to do him no harm. There are lots of other human rights abuses the UN should be focusing on. It should stop interfering.’

The report also criticised new laws which allow passports to be confiscated from potential terrorists travelling to fight for Islamic State.

In addition, it attacked Conservative plans to replace Labour’s Human Rights Act with a British Bill of Rights.

However, Justice Minister Dominic Raab said: ‘A Bill of Rights will strengthen, not weaken human rights.

‘Our reforms will protect our fundamen- tal freedoms, prevent abuse of the system and restore proper democratic accountability, so that the application of human ri ghts commands greater public confidence.’

The UN also complained the age of criminal responsibility, currently ten, was too high and said the ban on prisoner voting should be lifted.

Mr Raab added: ‘As for prisoner voting, it’s for Parliament to decide if prisoners get the vote – not the UN.

‘Frankly, it’s pretty absurd for a UN committee, with various individuals sent by governments that don’t hold proper democratic elections at all, to be lecturing us on this issue.’