Sir Michael Caine (left) and Natalie Dormer (right) A whole host of celebrities including Sir Michael Caine , Natalie Dormer and Alan Shearer are throwing their weight behind a campaign to finally ban smacking children in England. In Wales, Scotland and Jersey, any type of corporal punishment – for example, smacking, hitting, slapping and shaking children – is illegal. Yet in England and Northern Ireland it’s technically legal for a caregiver to discipline a child physically if it’s a “reasonable” punishment. While current child protection laws protect children from physical abuse, campaigners want to see changes in the law to protect children from physical punishment, too. The NSPCC, The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), and Barnardo’s will deliver an open letter to prime minister Sir Keir Starmer today urging him to end the use of physical punishment against children in England. The letter argues that an outdated and damaging defence in the law still allows a parent or guardian to argue that it is okay to physically harm their child, under the guise of ‘reasonable punishment’. The 287 signatories write: “We believe that it is never ‘reasonable’ to hit a child. It is harm, plain and simple. And the current law sends a dangerous message that striking a child can be excused.” Sir Michael Caine said: “I am proud to sign this letter and support this NSPCC campaign calling for the end of physical punishment on children in England. “Many other countries around the world, including Wales and Scotland, have already changed the law to ensure children have the same protection from being hit as adults. “Now is the moment for England to join them and draw a line under this damaging and harmful practice once and for all.” In 2023, the then-Conservative government rejected calls for physical punishment of children to be fully banned in England. Under the Labour government, campaigners now want to see an amendment to ban smacking in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which is currently making its way through Parliament. In 2022, after Wales banned the smacking of children, then-opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer said that other areas of the UK should follow the country’s example, stating “what it [the ban] does is give children the protection that adults already have, and that is the right thing”. But a Department for Education spokesperson has said while they are now “looking closely” at the legal changes made in Wales and Scotland in relation to reasonable punishment, “we have no plans to legislate at this stage”. “The landmark Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, a key part of our plan for change, represents the most transformative piece of child protection legislation in a generation, including wholesale reform of the children’s social care system and better information sharing between education, health and social workers to stop vulnerable children falling through the cracks,” they added. Critics have previously suggested a law change to ban physical punishment will criminalise parents, but really the main focus is protecting children. If you hit another adult, that is assault – so campaigners are asking: why does this not apply to children? A survey commissioned by the NSPCC previously found more than two-thirds of adults in England believe it’s wrong for parents or carers to physically punish their child, with 58% thinking it was already illegal. New data has also shown that in the past six months alone, contact to the NSPCC Helpline from adults with concerns about the physical punishment of children increased by 40% compared to the same period last year. More than 65 nations worldwide have already legislated against the physical punishment of children. Related... When Is It Rude To Ban (Or Bring) Kids As Guests? Teachers Are Being Treated As Therapists – And Children Are Losing Out The Rudest Things People Say To Parents Of Autistic Kids