Latest news with #burqaBan
Arab News
5 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Arab News
Reform UK chief slams MP's calls for burqa ban as ‘dumb'
LONDON: A row has erupted within the right-wing British party Reform UK after its newest member of Parliament, Sarah Pochin, used her maiden question during Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday to call for a nationwide ban on the burqa, it was reported on Thursday. The question prompted public criticism from Zia Yusuf, Reform UK's chairman, who rebuked the move, calling it a 'dumb' question. Pochin, who recently won the Runcorn and Helsby by-election, asked Prime Minister Keir Starmer whether the UK would follow European nations such as France, Belgium, and Denmark in banning the burqa 'in the interests of public safety.' Her remarks were met with audible disapproval from some MPs, with cries of 'shame' heard in the chamber of the House of Commons. Lee Anderson, Reform UK's chief whip, expressed support for Pochin's suggestion, saying: 'Ban the burqa? Yes we should. No one should be allowed to hide their identity in public.' However, Yusuf was less than supportive, writing on X: 'Nothing to do with me. Had no idea about the question, nor that it wasn't policy. I do think it's dumb for a party to ask the PM if they would do something the party itself wouldn't do.' A Reform spokesperson later clarified that Yusuf had not been criticizing Pochin personally, but highlighting the inconsistency of raising a proposal not endorsed by the party. The spokesperson reiterated that a burqa ban was not official Reform UK policy but acknowledged it was an issue that 'deserves national debate.' Nigel Farage, Reform UK's leader, speaking on GB News, was more cautious and distanced himself from an outright endorsement, but suggested public discomfort around face coverings warranted discussion. He said: 'I don't think face coverings in public places make sense, and I think we do deserve a debate about that, of which I see the burqa as being a part.' Pochin, a former Conservative councillor, later suggested her question had been sourced from public suggestions submitted online. 'Thank you to everyone who sent in questions for the prime minister,' she posted. The incident has reignited concerns about internal divisions within Reform UK. It comes just months after former Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe was expelled from the party following a falling out with both Yusuf and Farage. Lowe, who has expressed hardline views on immigration and has backed calls to ban the burqa, now sits as an independent. Reform has also been plagued by tension at the grassroots level. Following the recent local elections, Donna Edmunds, a Shropshire councillor, resigned from the party in protest, describing Farage as a 'terrible leader' and warning that he 'must never be prime minister.' Amid the latest fallout, a Labour spokesperson said: 'Nigel Farage could fit all of his MPs in the back of a cab, yet he can't stop them fighting among themselves.' Reform UK and Sarah Pochin were approached by the BBC, The Guardian, and The Independent for further comment.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Reform UK chairman calls Farage's newest MP ‘dumb' over burqa ban calls
The chairman of Reform UK has appeared to brand the party's newest MP 'dumb' for asking Sir Keir Starmer to introduce a burqa ban. Sarah Pochin, the new Runcorn and Helsby MP, used her first PMQs question to call on the prime minister to ban burqas 'in the interest of public safety'. She said: 'Given the prime minister's desire to strengthen strategic alignment with our European neighbours, will he, in the interest of public safety, follow the lead of France, Belgium, Denmark and others and ban the burqa?' Sir Keir welcomed Ms Pochin to the Commons, but said 'I am not going to follow her down that line'. Now, Reform chair Zia Yusuf has said it was 'dumb for a party to ask the prime minister if they would do something the party itself wouldn't do'. He said he 'had no idea about the question nor that it wasn't [Reform] policy'. A Reform spokesman later clarified that banning burqas was not party policy, sparking calls from the far-right for Mr Farage to adopt the proposals. Mr Yusuf's comments are only the latest pointer to infighting within Reform's ranks. Reform has already lost one MP since the general election, with Rupert Lowe having been forced out amid an investigation into bullying claims and the party reporting him to the police over alleged threats made towards Mr Yusuf. The investigation was later dropped with no further action taken. That came after he spoke out publicly against Mr Farage's leadership of the party, accusing the arch-Brexiteer of having 'messianic' tendencies. There has been infighting between Reform's top team and its councillors, too, with one quitting just days after last month's local elections with a brutal attack on Mr Farage. Donna Edmunds, who was elected in Hodnet, in Shropshire, was initially suspended for writing on X, formerly Twitter, that she was planning to defect from the party after the local elections. She responded by quitting the party and warning that Mr Farage 'must never be prime minister' and is a 'terrible leader'. Asked on Wednesday night about Ms Pochin's comments on the burqa, Mr Farage said he would welcome a broader debate about face coverings in public. He told GB News: 'I think this debate, actually, goes beyond the burqa… I was in Aberdeen Monday, there was a mob there to meet me, an organisation called Antifa, and half of them had complete face coverings on so they would be unidentifiable. 'I don't think face coverings in public places make sense, and I think we do deserve debate about that, which I see the burqa as being a part.'
