Parents in England should be banned from smacking their children because it is dangerous and harmful, say a leading group of children’s doctors.

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) is urging the government to bring England and Northern Ireland in line with Scotland and Wales, where corporal punishment including slapping, hitting and smacking, is already banned.

In England, a parent can use the defence of ‘reasonable punishment’ to justify hitting a child under existing legislation.

But the RCPCH report says current laws are ‘vague’ and create ‘grey areas’ which make it difficult to identify when youngsters may be being abused.

Smacking children, it says, also makes them more likely to suffer poor mental health, do badly at school and be assaulted or abused.

Calling the practice a ‘complete violation of children’s rights’ the group’s report says parents shouldn’t be able to claim hitting their child was ‘reasonable punishment’ as is currently allowed.

Ahead of the general election, the RCPCH is urging education secretary Gillian Keegan to look at changing the law and follow in the footsteps of Wales which altered its legislation back in March 2022.

Professor Andrew Rowland, RCPCH Officer for Child Protection, said: ‘‘As a paediatrician working in child protection services, I am regularly faced with difficult situations where it is alleged that physical punishment has been used against a child.

“Yet the current legislation around smacking and physical punishment of children makes it a unique challenge for protective services to have conversations with families about how they can act in the best interests of their child, and what is acceptable with regard to treatment of children.

“Changing the law in England and Northern Ireland would mean we start conversations and interventions from a solid, clear starting block: there are never any circumstances where physical punishment of children is tolerated, acceptable, or lawful.”

The NSPCC is supporting the college’s call for a complete ban in England and Northern Ireland.

Research by the charity – explains the report – suggestes public support for a law change is growing, with 67% of voting adults believing physical punishment of children is unacceptable and 63% believing a law change should be made.

When asked about the issue during an interview with Sky News on Wednesday morning, Conservative MP for Sevenoaks and Chief Secretary to the Treasure Laura Trott said she believed current laws were ‘in the right place’.