Latest news with #burka
Telegraph
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Farage: The burka is ‘anti-British'
Nigel Farage has described the burka as 'anti-British' as he called for a 'debate' on banning face coverings in the UK. The Reform UK leader issued his strongest comments yet about the issue on Tuesday, as he unveiled the party's new chairman, Dr David Bull. It comes after Zia Yusuf, the former chairman, resigned last Thursday after one of Reform's MPs raised banning the burka in Parliament. Mr Yusuf said it was 'dumb' to talk about the issue because outlawing face coverings was not party policy. However, on Tuesday, Mr Yusuf appeared at a Reform UK press conference and said he would continue working for the party as head of 'UK Doge', an efficiency campaign in Reform-run councils. Mr Farage was asked whether he supported previous comments by Dr Bull that the burka was an anti-British symbol. He replied: 'This is about priorities. You know, I don't like to see the burka. I think [Dr Bull].. I think he's probably right. ' It probably is anti-British in the sense that [...] I don't know if they're being forced to cover up. 'That is not a good and positive thing, but is it absolutely front and centre of what we're going to campaign for? Not given the other major crises we face.' Mr Farage also compared burkas, which are worn by Muslim women to cover the body and face, to face masks used by far-Left protesters. 'Should that mob that greeted me in Aberdeen last week with their Antifa flags be allowed to wear face masks and say openly inciteful things about my future health? 'Should they be allowed to do that with their faces covered? So there is a much bigger, broader debate about this. 'Do I think in cultural terms, the burka fits in with the British way of life? Not really.' Speaking at the press conference, Mr Yusuf said that he is 'hugely excited' that Dr Bull was taking his former role, which Mr Farage said would allow him to act as a figurehead for Reform's volunteers and councillors. 'I wholeheartedly congratulate him and I know he's going to do an incredible job for us,' Mr Yusuf said. Mr Farage said Dr Bull would come to the chairman's role with 'terrific verve, energy, enthusiasm', adding: 'It's going to be great fun'. Mr Yusuf returned to Reform over the weekend, just 48 hours after he quit, saying he had made an 'error' by resigning. He was first appointed the party's chairman after last year's general election, and said he had worked 18-hour days without any pay. Since then, Reform has taken control of 13 English councils and won mayoralties in Greater Lincolnshire and Hull and East Yorkshire. Nationally, Reform is polling at around 30 per cent of the vote – seven points ahead of Labour and 12 points ahead of the Conservatives. The row over the burka began when Sarah Pochin, the party's newest MP, raised a ban with Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Minister's Questions last Wednesday. Lee Anderson, the Reform chief whip, later said that he supported a ban, while Mr Farage and Richard Tice, the deputy leader, called for a 'debate' but stopped short of backing the policy. Mr Yusuf, who is a Muslim, resigned shortly afterwards but later said that he also supported a burka ban and had left the party due to stress and his high workload. Dr Bull, his replacement, is a former television presenter who briefly served as Reform's deputy leader when Mr Tice was running the party. Mr Farage said on Tuesday that he would look to recruit new spokesmen for different policy areas, including a Reform shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer. Asked by The Telegraph whether he would look to recruit former Conservative cabinet ministers, he replied: 'Yes, we will need some people who have got real experience of how government works, and real experience of how perhaps it might be tricky at times to do battle with the civil service. 'So, yeah, we want people with experience but we want people to join us for the right and not the wrong reasons.'
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Politicians must not shy away from any public debate on face coverings
SIR – Nigel Farage is quite right to call for a debate on the subject of people covering their faces in public, and brave to consider making it a Reform UK policy. It is clearly part of our culture that people's faces are visible. This is very important in looking to protect the public against criminals and others who wish to hide themselves behind any form of face covering. There are people who like to believe that it is part of their religion to cover their faces, but all politicians must know this is not a specific religious teaching. Face covering is unacceptable in our society and any political party knows that policy on the matter risks losing votes from that element of society that demands women cover their faces in public. Politicians need to raise divisive subjects, rather than evade them, and make difficult decisions for the benefit of social cohesion. Jonathan Longstaff Buxted, East Sussex SIR – I fully support Sarah Pochin, the newly elected MP for Runcorn and Helsby, in calling for a ban on the public wearing of the burka (report, June 8). If France, Denmark, Belgium and others are prepared to resist this affront to their way of life, then what is stopping us from doing the same? Will Forrow Dawlish, Devon SIR – Several European countries have banned the wearing of full facial coverings in public, both for security reasons and to tackle a lack of integration into their indigenous populations. We should follow suit. Peter Rosie Ringwood, Hampshire SIR – I would add to Dr Chris Staley's list of unacceptable face coverings (Letters, June 7) the keffiyeh, as worn by militant protesters who seem ashamed to show their faces. Gordon Cook Torquay, Devon SIR – It is a pity that while Kemi Badenoch opposes sharia courts ('Badenoch: Let bosses ban burkas in offices', report, June 8), she has said nothing about their Sikh counterpart. Sikh courts have no precedent in India. In fact, they are alien to Sikh traditions: even during the Sikh rule in the 18th-century Punjab, there were no exclusive Sikh courts. Moreover, once you accept Sikh courts, you indirectly accept that Sikhs are fundamentally a different people, and hence deserve special treatment. The creation of these courts has been a great victory for those Sikhs who want to live not as Sikhs of Britain, but Sikhs in Britain. To create social cohesion and communal harmony, Britain needs a uniform civil code, not separate religious courts. Perhaps that is the reason why the Supreme Court of India has consistently demanded the abolition of such courts.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
What is a burka and what are the rules around wearing one in the UK?
Employers should be able to decide if their staff can wear burkas in the workplace, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said, amid a debate on the face coverings and whether they should be banned in the UK. The issue was brought up by Reform's newest MP Sarah Pochin, who asked Sir Keir Starmer during Prime Minister's Questions whether he would support such a ban. Starmer said he would not "follow her down that line", but the question has sparked what Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice said is 'a national discussion'. A burka is a veil worn by some Muslim women that covers the face and body, often leaving just a mesh screen to see through. Other face coverings include the niqab, which leaves the area around the eyes clear, while the term hijab refers more general to headscarves that cover the head and neck but leave the face clear. Badenoch said her view is that people who come to her constituency surgeries must remove their face coverings 'whether it's a burka or a balaclava'. The Telegraph asked me about Burqa Bans.I don't like these sorts of face coverings in fact I won't hold my constituency surgeries with people in face coverings….but burqa bans won't fix the problem of cultural separatism. There are better in my response below👇 — Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) June 8, 2025 She shared a segment of an interview with the Telegraph via X, in which she said: 'I personally have strong views about face coverings. If you come into my constituency surgery, you have to remove your face covering, whether it's a burka or a balaclava. I'm not talking to people who are not going to show me their face. 'Organisations should be able to decide what their staff wear for instance, it shouldn't be something that people should be able to override.' Her comment on the post said: "I don't like these sorts of face coverings in fact I won't hold my constituency surgeries with people in face coverings….but burqa bans won't fix the problem of cultural separatism. There are better ways." Yahoo News look at what a burka is and what the rules are around wearing them. There are various different headscarves worn by Muslim women as a sign of modesty, with different names referring to different styles. The burka is the most concealing and is a one-piece veil that covers the face and body, often leaving a mesh screen to see through. A niqab is a veil for the face that leaves the area around the eyes clear, and is worn with a headscard. Hijab is used to describe headscarves in general, with the most common type in the West covering the head and neck but leaving the face clear. Other face coverings include a shayla, chador, khimar and an al-amira, all of which are different and cover the face and head in different ways. Islamic dress is not banned in the UK, but schools and employers are allowed to set their own rules around dress code. However, an organisation would have to demonstrate its ban is "proportionate" and for a "legitimate aim" or it could face a legal challenge on the grounds of discrimination under equality and human rights laws. Several countries have restrictions in place on where the burka or niqab can be worn. France banned the wearing of veils intended to conceal the face in public in 2010, with similar bans in place in countries including Denmark, Belgium, Austria, the Netherlands and Switzerland. When she asked her question in PMQs, Pochin cited other countries, saying: "Given the prime minister's desire to strengthen strategic alignment with our European neighbours, will he - in the interests of public safety - follow the lead of France, Denmark, Belgium and others, and ban the burqa?" Banning the burka was not part of Reform UK's policies at last year's general election. But asked about the issue on Sunday, the party's deputy leader Richard Tice said: 'We've triggered a national discussion. I'm very concerned about them (burkas). 'Frankly, I think they are repressive. I think that they make women second-class citizens. 'We're a Christian nation. We have equality between the sexes, and I'm very concerned, and if someone wants to convince me otherwise, well come and talk to me. 'But at the moment, my view is that I think we should follow seven other nations across Europe that have already banned them.' He called for a debate on the topic to 'hear where the country's mood is'. Meanwhile, shadow home secretary Chris Philp said 'employers should be allowed to decide whether their employees can be visible or not', when discussing face coverings. Asked on the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme if the Conservative Party's position is not to speak to people who cover their face, Philp said of Badenoch: 'Well she was talking specifically about her constituency surgery I think, and it is definitely the case that employers should be allowed to decide whether their employees can be visible or not. 'But I don't think this is necessarily the biggest issue facing our country right now. 'There's a legitimate debate to have about the burka. You've got, obviously, arguments about personal liberty and choice and freedom on one side, and arguments about causing divisions in society and the possibility of coercion on the other. 'That is a debate I think we as a country should be having, but as Kemi said, it's probably not the biggest issue our nation faces today.' Women should not be veiling their faces in Western society (Telegraph) Reform UK chairman quits after calling question from party's newest MP 'dumb' (PA Media) New Reform UK MP Stuns The Commons With Outrageous Request In PMQs (HuffPost)
BreakingNews.ie
2 days ago
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Badenoch says organisations should be able to decide if staff can wear burkas
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said employers should be able to decide if their staff can wear burkas in the workplace. Mrs Badenoch also said people who come to her constituency surgeries must remove their face coverings 'whether it's a burka or a balaclava'. Advertisement Ms Badenoch posted a video on X of part of her interview with the Telegraph, in which she said: 'My view is that people should be allowed to wear whatever they want, not what their husband is asking them to wear or what their community says that they should wear. 'I personally have strong views about face coverings. 'If you come into my constituency surgery, you have to remove your face covering, whether it's a burka or a balaclava. 'I'm not talking to people who are not going to show me their face. Advertisement 'Organisations should be able to decide what their staff wear for instance, it shouldn't be something that people should be able to override.' She added that France has a ban and has 'worse problems than we do in this country on integration'. On Wednesday, Reform's newest MP Sarah Pochin asked Sir Keir Starmer during Prime Minister's Questions whether he would support such a ban. Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice said his party has 'triggered a national discussion'. Advertisement Asked if he wants to ban burkas, Mr Tice told GB News on Sunday: 'We've triggered a national discussion. I'm very concerned about them (burkas). 'Frankly, I think they are repressive. I think that they make women second-class citizens. 'We're a Christian nation. We have equality between the sexes, and I'm very concerned, and if someone wants to convince me otherwise, well come and talk to me. 'But at the moment, my view is that I think we should follow seven other nations across Europe that have already banned them.' Advertisement He called for a debate on the topic to 'hear where the country's mood is'. Meanwhile, shadow home secretary Chris Philp said 'employers should be allowed to decide whether their employees can be visible or not', when discussing face coverings. Asked on the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme if the Conservative Party's position is not to speak to people who cover their face, Mr Philp said of Mrs Badenoch: 'Well she was talking specifically about her constituency surgery I think, and it is definitely the case that employers should be allowed to decide whether their employees can be visible or not. 'But I don't think this is necessarily the biggest issue facing our country right now. Advertisement 'There's a legitimate debate to have about the burka. 'You've got, obviously, arguments about personal liberty and choice and freedom on one side, and arguments about causing divisions in society and the possibility of coercion on the other. 'That is a debate I think we as a country should be having, but as Kemi said, it's probably not the biggest issue our nation faces today.' Asked if he would talk to people who would not show their face, the Croydon South MP said: 'I have in the past spoken to people obviously wearing a burka – I represent a London constituency – but everybody can make their own choices, that's the point she was making, each employer should be able to make their own choices.'
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Badenoch says organisations should be able to decide if staff can wear burkas
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said employers should be able to decide if their staff can wear burkas in the workplace. Mrs Badenoch also said people who come to her constituency surgeries must remove their face coverings 'whether it's a burka or a balaclava'. Ms Badenoch posted a video on X of part of her interview with the Telegraph, in which she said: 'My view is that people should be allowed to wear whatever they want, not what their husband is asking them to wear or what their community says that they should wear. 'I personally have strong views about face coverings. 'If you come into my constituency surgery, you have to remove your face covering, whether it's a burka or a balaclava. 'I'm not talking to people who are not going to show me their face. 'Organisations should be able to decide what their staff wear for instance, it shouldn't be something that people should be able to override.' She added that France has a ban and has 'worse problems than we do in this country on integration'. On Wednesday, Reform's newest MP Sarah Pochin asked Sir Keir Starmer during Prime Minister's Questions whether he would support such a ban. Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice said his party has 'triggered a national discussion'. Asked if he wants to ban burkas, Mr Tice told GB News on Sunday: 'We've triggered a national discussion. I'm very concerned about them (burkas). 'Frankly, I think they are repressive. I think that they make women second-class citizens. 'We're a Christian nation. We have equality between the sexes, and I'm very concerned, and if someone wants to convince me otherwise, well come and talk to me. 'But at the moment, my view is that I think we should follow seven other nations across Europe that have already banned them.' He called for a debate on the topic to 'hear where the country's mood is'. Meanwhile, shadow home secretary Chris Philp said 'employers should be allowed to decide whether their employees can be visible or not', when discussing face coverings. Asked on the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme if the Conservative Party's position is not to speak to people who cover their face, Mr Philp said of Mrs Badenoch: 'Well she was talking specifically about her constituency surgery I think, and it is definitely the case that employers should be allowed to decide whether their employees can be visible or not. 'But I don't think this is necessarily the biggest issue facing our country right now. 'There's a legitimate debate to have about the burka. 'You've got, obviously, arguments about personal liberty and choice and freedom on one side, and arguments about causing divisions in society and the possibility of coercion on the other. 'That is a debate I think we as a country should be having, but as Kemi said, it's probably not the biggest issue our nation faces today.' Asked if he would talk to people who would not show their face, the Croydon South MP said: 'I have in the past spoken to people obviously wearing a burka – I represent a London constituency – but everybody can make their own choices, that's the point she was making, each employer should be able to make their own choices.'
