Helen Goodman, deputy leader of the House of Commons, told a Children Are Unbeatable! event at the Labour Party conference last week she would fight for the government to give MPs a free vote on the matter. "I undertake to go back to Parliament and press the case for a free vote on this issue," she told delegates at the event. "I'm optimistic about the children's policy review Beverley Hughes is undertaking. It's important to win this argument."
Previous attempts to outlaw physical punishment of children in Parliament have been previously defeated after the government decided to order its MPs to oppose the move. Goodman said the UK should follow the example of Sweden, which introduced a ban despite public opposition.
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