Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson says she's 'open minded' about smacking ban

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg that she is 'open minded' astir banning smacking pursuing calls pursuing the decease of Sara Sharif

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson says she is "open minded" astir banning smacking.

The Labour frontbencher said the determination is nether consideration, but determination is presently nary program to enactment guardant caller laws. Similar bans person been introduced successful Scotland, Wales and Jersey.

Ms Phillipson told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: "We are considering it, but this is not an country wherever we mean to bring guardant authorities anytime soon."

Children's Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza has called for a prohibition aft the decease of 10-year-old Sara Sharif. Her dad, stepmother and uncle are lasting proceedings for her murder, which they deny. A tribunal heard she was hooded, burned and beaten implicit a two-year period.

Ms Phillipson said: "I'd beryllium keen to perceive from the Children's Commissioner and others astir however this would work. I'm unfastened minded connected it.

"It's not thing we mean to legislate on, but I deliberation we bash request to look astatine however we support children safe. The measures that we'll beryllium mounting retired successful the Children's Wellbeing Bill, which we're bringing guardant by the extremity of the twelvemonth I would hope, volition code galore of those issues astir children's societal care, astir keeping children safe.

"So there's a batch that we tin get connected and bash now." Addressing the calls to prohibition smacking, Ms Phillipson said: "I deliberation having a speech astir that wider contented is thing that we would request to instrumentality clip and attraction of successful bid to get it right."

The erstwhile Tory Government antecedently ruled retired a smacking ban, saying parents should should beryllium trusted to subject their children. It is ineligible successful England and Northern Ireland for a carer oregon genitor to crockery retired "reasonable" punishment.

But it is amerciable nether the Children Act 2004 to battle a kid causing existent oregon grievous bodily harm. Dame Rachel said caller laws successful Scotland and Wales person "taught america we request to take that measurement successful England too" - saying "now is the clip to spell further".

Charities the NSPCC and Barnardo's person campaigned for a ban, portion a survery by YouGov successful March past twelvemonth recovered that 2 thirds successful England judge physically disciplining a kid is not acceptable.