SCHOOLS Secretary Ed Balls said James Bulger’s killers were not “intrinsically evil” as he waded into the row over trying youngsters in adult courts.

The Labour cabinet minister said the Children’s Commissioner’s comments about the two-year-old’s murder were “ill-advised”.

Dr Maggie Atkinson described the killing at the weekend as “exceptionally unpleasant” but said it was wrong Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, who were 10 in 1993 when they were charged with James’ murder in Bootle, were tried in an adult court.

She called for the age of criminal responsibility to be raised to 12, and her comments were condemned by James’ mother Denise Fergus, of Kirkby, as “twisted and insensitive”.

Reacting yesterday, Mr Balls said he “disagreed” with Dr Atkinson’s comments, but insisted she was independent of the Government and it was her job to stand up for children and young people.

Referring to Mrs Fergus as Mrs Bulger, Mr Balls said: “I thought it was ill-advised. Not just for Mrs Bulger but for many people, the scars of what was done to James Bulger are very deep.

“In this case my sympathies are with Mrs Bulger, not the Children’s Commissioner.”

Mr Balls did say he agreed with Dr Atkinson about labelling children as “evil”.

He added: “I think we have to be very careful about labelling any child as intrinsically evil.

“Children are very affected by what happens to them as they are growing up.

“I think what they did to James Bulger was evil, but I am not willing to say the children were intrinsically evil.”