Displaying items by tag: proposed law change

PM Richard Sunak has made ‘stopping the boats’ one of his top priorities, saying, ‘Make no mistake if you come here illegally, you will not be able to stay.’ He wants Channel migrants removed from the UK, banned from future re-entry and unable to apply for British citizenship under proposed new legislation. These tactical measures will apply to anyone arriving on UK shores in a small boat. The Refugee Council has criticised the plans and says that thousands of people will be left ‘permanently in limbo’ as a result. There are many reasons for seeking asylum in the UK. One of the main reasons, recognised in the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees, is Religious Persecution. Across the world today there is considerable religious persecution, mostly targeting Christians, so it is no surprise that Christians claim asylum in the UK on that basis. See However Christian persecution rarely makes the news. 

Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi said he does not believe the state should be ‘nannying’ parents about the way they bring up their children. He has rejected the call to ban smacking children in England, saying, ‘Parents are entitled to discipline their children. My very strong view is we must trust parents on this. They should be entitled to discipline their children. There is a very big difference between a “light smack on the arm” and child abuse.’ Dame Rachel De Souza, the children's commissioner, has signalled her support for changing the law to give children the same protection from assault as adults. Wales has made illegal any type of corporal punishment, including smacking, hitting, slapping or shaking illegal. In England and Northern Ireland, smacking a child is unlawful, but is allowed as long as it constitutes ‘reasonable punishment’.