Nadhim Zahawi has rejected a call for a ban on smacking children in England, saying "parents are entitled to discipline their children".

       Dame Rachel de Souza, the children's commissioner, previously signalled her support for changing the law to give children the same protection from assault as adults. Such a change would bring England in line with the legal position in Scotland and Wales.

       Speaking on Thursday morning, Mr Zahawi, the Education Secretary, said he did not believe the state should be "nannying" parents about the way they bring up their children.

       "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," he told Times radio.

       "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."

       He added that there is a "very big difference" between a "light smack on the arm" and child abuse.

       On Wednesday, Dame Rachel said: "I absolutely abhor, and I'm against, violence of any kind against children. Because children are more vulnerable than adults, I think we do need to ensure that their rights are supported."

       Wales last month made any type of corporal punishment, including smacking, hitting, slapping and shaking illegal in the country.

       The 'smacking ban', as it is known, was brought in under the Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Act 2020 and marks the end of the common law defence of "reasonable punishment".

       Parents or anyone who is responsible for a child while the parents are absent can now face criminal or civil charges if they are found to have physically disciplined a young person in any way.

       Scotland introduced a ban in November 2020.

       Previously, as is still the case in England and Northern Ireland, smacking a child was unlawful, but such an assault was allowed as long as it constituted "reasonable punishment".

       Whether the defence was accepted depended on the circumstances of each case, taking into consideration factors such as the age of the child and the nature of the contact, including whether it left a red mark or was carried out with a fist or implement such as a cane or belt.

       'I would be supportive if our Government decided to do the same'

       Dame Rachel urged ministers to look at how the legislation moved through the Welsh Assembly and said she would support a decision to follow suit.

       "I think we've got a great opportunity to look, watch it, as it's embedded (in Wales), and I would be supportive - certainly, from what I've seen so far - I would be supportive if our Government decided to do the same," she said.

       Although Dame Rachel acknowledged that "protections" for children are already "enshrined in law" in England, she expressed admiration for the actions of the Scottish and Welsh Governments, adding: "It's certainly something that I think we should consider."

       A survey commissioned by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children found more than two-thirds of adults in England believe it is wrong for parents or carers to physically punish their child, with 58 per cent thinking it was already illegal.

       More than 60 nations worldwide have legislated against the physical punishment of children.