Smacking ban criticised

A children’s rights charity, which advocates banning smacking, has been criticised by MEP Paul Nuttall.

“Our Government quite rightly decided not to change the law on this issue and it is rubbish for this charity to describe smacking as “ real threat” to children’s rights,” said Mr Nuttall, UKIP Deputy Leader.

"No one would ever justify children being assaulted and excessively disciplined but that is a world away from a mum or dad giving a child, who needs such discipline, a smack.

"Children need discipline in their lives, you only have to look around to see out-of-control youngsters who plainly have never known any," he added.

The Children’s Rights Alliance for England has issued a report saying that Britain will be breaking international law unless it introduces an immediate ban on smacking,

It also says that the current age of criminal responsibility in Britain – just 10 years old compared with a European average of 14 – is too low to comply with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

“Those of us living in the real world are only too well aware that children grow up much earlier these days. While that is sad in many ways it is self-apparent and to suggest raising the age of criminal responsibility is nonsense”, said Mr Nuttall, local Euro MP.

“Do children actually need ‘rights’ enshrined any more than those ‘rights’ of adults? How I long for the day when we return to ‘responsibilities’ rather than politically correct ‘rights’.”

“I came as no surprise at all to read that the biggest grant donor to this charity last year was the European Commission, which likes nothing more than trying to control our day to day lives,” he added.