{"links":{"self":"https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/775856.json"},"data":{"type":"petition","id":775856,"attributes":{"action":"End the “Reasonable Punishment” defence for children under five","background":"We believe it should be standard to protect children under five who should receive the highest level of safety and legal protection from harm. The “reasonable punishment” defence currently allows parents and carers to legally hit children if the force used is judged “reasonable”.","additional_details":"We believe adults should not decide what a toddler is capable of tolerating when they cannot fully grasp their developmental needs and experiences.\r\n \r\nThese are vulnerable members of society, not yet able to regulate their emotions sufficiently or conceptualise the timeframe ‘next month’, and should not be expected to understand what it means when a parent hits them. Children under five would not recognise when the threshold of “reasonable punishment” has been exceeded, nor is it their responsibility to endure the long-term effects on their cognitive and emotional development, such as altered brain chemistry.","committee_note":"","state":"open","signature_count":25,"closing_date":"2027-01-31","created_at":"2026-07-02T10:37:09.773Z","updated_at":"2026-08-02T21:18:00.000Z","rejected_at":null,"opened_at":"2026-07-31T11:25:12.331Z","closed_at":null,"moderation_threshold_reached_at":"2026-07-02T12:16:10.000Z","response_threshold_reached_at":null,"government_response_at":null,"debate_threshold_reached_at":null,"debate_scheduled_on":null,"scheduled_debate_date":null,"debate_outcome_at":null,"creator_name":"Maggie Lu","rejection":null,"government_response":null,"debate":null,"departments":[{"acronym":"MoJ","name":"Ministry of Justice","url":"https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice"}],"topics":[],"signatures_by_country":[{"name":"United Kingdom","code":"GB","signature_count":25}],"signatures_by_constituency":[{"name":"Bridgwater","ons_code":"E14001126","mp":"Sir Ashley Fox MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Cheltenham","ons_code":"E14001161","mp":"Max Wilkinson MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Croydon West","ons_code":"E14001188","mp":"Sarah Jones MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Derby South","ons_code":"E14001194","mp":"Baggy Shanker MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"East Wiltshire","ons_code":"E14001217","mp":"Danny Kruger MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Exeter","ons_code":"E14001231","mp":"Steve Race MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Gateshead Central and Whickham","ons_code":"E14001244","mp":"Mark Ferguson MP","signature_count":3},{"name":"Ipswich","ons_code":"E14001302","mp":"Jack Abbott MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Islington North","ons_code":"E14001305","mp":"Rt Hon Jeremy Corbyn MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Lancaster and Wyre","ons_code":"E14001318","mp":"Cat Smith MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West","ons_code":"E14001377","mp":"Dame Chi Onwurah MP","signature_count":2},{"name":"Newcastle upon Tyne North","ons_code":"E14001379","mp":"Catherine McKinnell MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Salisbury","ons_code":"E14001460","mp":"Rt Hon John Glen MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"South Shields","ons_code":"E14001492","mp":"Emma Lewell MP","signature_count":3},{"name":"South West Hertfordshire","ons_code":"E14001496","mp":"Mr Gagan Mohindra MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"St Austell and Newquay","ons_code":"E14001508","mp":"Noah Law MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Sunderland Central","ons_code":"E14001531","mp":"Lewis Atkinson MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Tiverton and Minehead","ons_code":"E14001548","mp":"Rachel Gilmour MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Washington and Gateshead South","ons_code":"E14001567","mp":"Mrs Sharon Hodgson MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Belfast South and Mid Down","ons_code":"N05000003","mp":"Claire Hanna MP","signature_count":1}],"signatures_by_region":[{"name":"North East","ons_code":"A","signature_count":11},{"name":"North West","ons_code":"B","signature_count":1},{"name":"East Midlands","ons_code":"E","signature_count":1},{"name":"East of England","ons_code":"G","signature_count":2},{"name":"London","ons_code":"H","signature_count":2},{"name":"South West","ons_code":"K","signature_count":7},{"name":"Northern Ireland","ons_code":"N","signature_count":1}],"other_parliamentary_business":[]}}}