The suggestion by a leading charity that Baby P might have become a “feral, parasitic yob” had he lived to be a teenager has provoked anger and astonishment among MPs and children’s charities.

Martin Narey, the chief executive of Barnardo’s, made the comments about the toddler - the details of whose death caused public outcry - to focus attention on the need to tackle route causes of abuse.

But children’s charities and MPs said they were “gobsmacked” by his “provocative” comments.

The reaction comes as the doctor who failed to spot the child's broken ribs and back during an examination days before his death was suspended by the General Medical Council (GMC).

Michele Elliott, chief executive of children’s charity Kidscape, told The Times: “Barnardo’s is on a campaign of shock here and they seem to feel that by making these kind of comments that the public is going to support them. I find these comments extremely offensive in view of the fact that the child is dead.”

David Laws, Liberal Democrat’s children’s spokesman, said the terms used by Mr Narey were unwise.

“It would be better not to use such provocative language about this particular baby who has died,” he said. “Martin is seeking to make a wider point and to connect the Baby P case to Barnardo’s campaign on child poverty.

"[He is trying to] throw some light on the circumstances in which thousands of young people in Britain grow up today and the need to break these cycles of deprivation.”

Mr Narey said in his lecture last night that he was shocked by the tragic events surrounding Baby P.

"It saddens me that the probability is that had Baby P survived, given his own deprivation, he might have been unruly by the time he had reached the age of 13 or 14.

"At which point he'd have become feral, a parasite, a yob, helping to infest our streets. The response to his criminal behavior would have been to lock him up – but we believe these children deserve better."

Mr Narey said he wanted Barnardo's to break the cycle of deprivation that prevents many children achieving their full potential.

"We are not seeking to justify the behaviour of rowdy and sometimes dangerous young people but by helping to explain it, we can make progress in preventing it," he said.

Camila Batmanghelidjh, the founder of Kids Company a charity for young people in inner cities - many of whom have been in the care system - said that it was wrong to presume that all abused children go on to be abusive adults.

“There is not doubt that abuse and neglect creates havoc in a child’s development”, but she said that would not necessarily manifest in the child committing crime against others. Those who have been abused are just as likely to harm themselves when they become adults, she added.

“All those who cause contact violence have been abused and neglected, but not all those who have been abused go on to cause harm to others.”

Yesterday, thousands of letters from the public calling for the resignation of the social workers involved in Baby P’s case were taken to Downing Street. The toddler died from 50 injuries despite numerous visits by the social services.

Dr Sabah Al-Zayyat missed the injuries inflicted by the child's mother, her boyfriend and a lodger, days before he died in a blood-splattered cot.

The doctor, who qualified in Pakistan and worked in Saudi Arabia before coming to Britain in 2004, noticed bruises to his body but she decided she could not carry out a full and systemic examination as the boy was “miserable and cranky”.

The GMC said its Interim Orders Panel had decided to suspend Dr Al-Zayyat. “Investigations are ongoing and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage," it said.

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