Parents in England should be trusted to make their own decisions about whether to smack their children. Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said he did not believe the state should be “nannying” parents about the way they bring up their children.
He rejected a call from the Children’s Commissioner for England for a ban on smacking children, saying mothers and fathers are “entitled” to be able to discipline their youngsters. Dame Rachel de Souza had earlier told Times Radio she would be “supportive” if the Government decided to follow Scotland and Wales in banning physical punishment of children, suggesting it is something that should be considered in England.
But Mr Zahawi responded: "My very strong view is that actually we have got to trust parents on this, and parents being able to discipline their children is something that they should be entitled to do. We have got to just make sure we don’t end up in a world where the state is nannying people about how they bring up their children.”
