Overview
- Reports say Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch is considering a ban on full-face veils such as the burqa as part of a wider review of Islamist extremism, with senior shadow ministers Chris Philp and Nick Timothy examining the case.
- A government spokesperson says there are no plans to introduce a ban, and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood opposes the state telling people what they can wear.
- Badenoch previously said she would not announce an outright ban and questioned how police could enforce such a law, so any move now would mark a shift from her earlier stance.
- Adopting a ban would bring the Conservatives closer to Reform UK’s platform on face coverings and would draw a clearer contrast with Labour’s position ahead of local elections.
- Polling reported by More in Common finds 56% support for a ban, while critics warn it would punish Muslim women and prove hard to enforce, even as several European countries have enacted similar measures that the European Court of Human Rights has upheld in some cases.