PM backs 'Arthur's law': Child killers would NEVER be released under proposals 

Child killers like the step-mother and father of tragic six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes will never been released from prison under proposals backed by the Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

'Arthur's Law' would see anyone who carries out the murder of a child sent to prison indefinitely.

'Anyone who plans then carries out the murder of a child should never be released from prison, so we’re toughening the law to make whole-life orders the starting point for such abhorrent crimes,' Mr Johnson told The Sun. 

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of 'ghost children' are at risk of abuse after failing to return to school following the lockdowns, a senior MP warned.

Robert Halfon, chairman of the Commons education committee, said 100,000 pupils were 'lost in the system' and therefore vulnerable to cruelty at home.

His warning came as Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi confirmed there will be an investigation into the failings leading to the death of Arthur. 

The boy's stepmother, Emma Tustin, was jailed last week for at least 29 years for his murder, while his father, Thomas Hughes, was sentenced to 21 years for manslaughter.

It emerged in court that Arthur was seen by social workers during the first national lockdown just two months before his death in Solihull, West Midlands, in June last year. But they concluded there were 'no safeguarding concerns' and closed the file.

Mr Halfon told MPs: 'There are 100,000 what I call the ghost children, who are lost in the system and who haven't returned to school for the most time, who are subject to potential safeguarding hazards, county lines gangs, online harm and, of course, awful domestic abuse.' 

Mr Halfon asked Mr Zahawi to make a 'real effort to work with the local authorities, to work with the schools and the regional commissioners to make sure that those 100,000 children who are mostly not in school are returned to school and are being watched by those authorities when they need to be watched'.

Mr Zahawi replied: 'It is a concerning issue and it is a focus for my department.'

Little Arthur can FINALLY be laid to rest: Killer father Thomas Hughes agrees to release six-year-old’s body for burial – 18 months after he was murdered, his lawyer says 

By Emer Scully for MailOnline 

Arthur Labinjo-Hughes can finally be laid to rest after his father Thomas agreed to release the six-year-old's body for burial 18 months after he was murdered.

The 29-year-old, who was jailed for 21 years after he was found guilty of manslaughter, had previously been 'passive' but wanted to offer a 'tiny scrap of peace' to Arthur's mother Olivia Labinjo-Halcrow, according to his lawyer.

Earlier this week Arthur's maternal grandmother, Madeleine Halcrow, told MailOnline her grandson's body remains in the mortuary of Leicester Royal Infirmary - where the post-mortem was carried out 16-months ago - due to a legal dispute over who has the right to lay him to rest. 

The breakthrough comes after a court heard how Arthur's 'wicked' stepmother Emma Tustin and his 'pitiless' father Thomas subjected him to a horrific campaign of 'evil' abuse during the Covid lockdown last year.

Jurors heard that Tustin, 32, violently shook the child and repeatedly banged his head, likely against the hallway wall, at her home in Cranmore Road, Solihull on June 16, 2020.

Bernard Richmond QC, barrister for Hughes told Birmingham Live his client had wanted to leave the issue of Arthur's remains to his and Ms Labinjo-Halcrow's family to resolve - and only stepped in when they could not agree.

Arthur's birth mother Ms Labinjo-Halcrow is in jail after fatally stabbing her lover in a 'drink and drug-fuelled rage' in 2019. Arthur's father Hughes then met Tustin through the Plenty of Fish dating website and fell into her thrall. In March 2020, they moved into Tustin's council house, where Arthur was tortured, poisoned with salt, and eventually beaten to death. 

The six-year-old had suffered 'unsurvivable' brain damage and a total of 130 injuries were found all over his body. He had also been tortured, poisoned with salt and forced to stand on his own for up to 14 hours a day.

Mr Richmond added: 'I have spoke to him and said this can't go on. He has instructed me to say that Arthur's remains, after a service with his family, must go to his mother's family for her to have a funeral and she must have control of his ashes.

'He does hope he can give Olivia a tiny scrap of peace.'

Meanwhile, Nadhim Zahawi today launched a review of how officials dealt with the case of tragic six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, as he said 'no government can legislate for evil' but ministers would 'take action to stop it whenever we can'. 

The Education Secretary said the review by the National Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel will scrutinise the world of Solihull Children's Safeguarding Partnerships, while police and probation inspectors would carry out their own linked inspections.  

The action comes after it emerged in court Arthur had been seen by social workers just two months before his death, but they concluded there were 'no safeguarding concerns'.

The boy's stepmother Tustin was jailed for life at Coventry Crown Court on Friday, with a minimum term of 29 years, after being found guilty of his murder, while his father Hughes was sentenced to 21 years for manslaughter. 

Mr Zahawi confirmed a review and targeted inspection will take place as part of efforts to assess why things went 'horrifyingly wrong and what more could be done to prevent abuse such as this happening again'.

He told MPs: 'Since the horrendous deaths of Peter Connelly, Daniel Pelka and, sadly, others, the Government has established stronger multi-agency working - putting a shared and equal duty on police, councils and health in local areas to work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, alongside a role for schools.

'I am sure members across the House will recognise that improvements have been made from previous reviews, but the question now is whether that is enough.'

Mr Zahawi, on the targeted area inspection jointly by Ofsted, the Care Quality Commission, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services and HM Inspectorate of Probation, said: 'This will mean we can truly look at where improvements are needed by all the agencies tasked with protecting children in the Solihull area, so that we can be assured that we are doing everything in our power to protect other children and prevent such evil crimes.'

The minister said the review would look at how social workers could 'work directly with families' rather than staying 'behind a desk'. 

He added: 'Sunlight is the best possible disinfectant, because if we are to improve services we must share data and evidence. 

'As the court heard, Arthur's tragic death is the result of the cruelty of his father and his father's partner.

'No government in the world can legislate for evil, but we will take action wherever we can to stop it happening wherever we can. 

'We must do more. Anyone who suspects child abuse can report their concerns to the local authority or by contacting the NSPCC. 

'If you are worried or you are seeing something that troubles you - report it.'    

Speaking on Friday during a campaign visit in Shropshire, Boris Johnson vowed to leave 'absolutely no stone unturned' to establish what went wrong.

He said it was essential to learn lessons and to work out what else could have been done to protect the child.

Responding to Mr Zahawi, Labour said the government had 'tolerated failure' in children's services across the country and this must end.

Shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson told the Commons: 'Failure should never be an acceptable outcome for any public service. That is especially true when it comes to protecting children.

'For too long this Government has tolerated failing children's services and a failure to protect children.

'Vulnerable children are being failed and that cannot go on. The Secretary of State must now set out how he plans to tackle that

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