Are British parents about to lose their parental rights?

This new proposal to remove the legal presumption that contact with both parents is usually in a child's best interests may sound protective on the surface, but in reality it risks opening a very dangerous door.

By removing the presumption of shared parental involvement, we risk creating a system where one parent can more easily use the courts to exclude the other parent from their child's life.

Parental alienation, false allegations and manipulative court tactics are already serious concerns for many families. This change could make it even easier for a loving parent to be erased from their child's life based on suspicion, hostility or emotional revenge rather than proven risk.

The law already allows contact to be restricted where there is evidence of harm, abuse or safeguarding concerns. That protection must remain. Children must always be protected from genuine danger.

But removing the presumption altogether weakens the already fragile balance between safeguarding and parental equality.

Children deserve protection from abuse. They also deserve protection from being weaponised in parental conflict. Laws should be written to protect all children, including those whose relationship with a loving parent is being quietly destroyed by false claims, gatekeeping or alienating behaviour.

This is not the right reform.

Instead of dismantling the principle of shared parenting, the government should be strengthening risk assessment, improving court investigations, introducing better psychological input, and creating real accountability where false allegations or parental alienation are proven.

Family law should protect children. Not make it easier to erase parents.