Andy Burnham supports Yorkshire mother's push for law ending automatic parental contact

MPs voted 301 to 193 to pass "Jack and Paul’s Law", a measure that removes the legal presumption that contact with both parents is in a child's best interests, as part of the Courts and Tribunals Bill. The law overturns a provision of the Children Act 1989 that had guided family courts for years. The campaign was driven by Claire Throssell after her sons Jack, 12, and Paul, 9, died in a house fire set by their father Darren Sykes, who had been granted five hours a week of contact despite prior threats.

An inquest revealed the boys were lured with a model train set before the fire. After the vote, Throssell met Andy Burnham, who pledged his firm support for the reform. The legislation seeks to protect children from dangerous parents, a concern highlighted by Women’s Aid's record of 68 child deaths during court-permitted visits by abusive parents.