Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has been accused of being ‘too weak’ to stand up to Robert Jenrick after he called for the burqa to be banned
Kemi Badenoch has been accused of being “too weak” to stand up to Robert Jenrick after he said he supported banning burqas.
The Tory leader in June said her party would not ban the burqa and rejected the idea of police officers keeping track of what women were wearing.
But Mr Jenrick – the Shadow Justice Secretary – broke ranks with his leader and said he’d probably ban them. “I probably would ban the burqa,” he told Talk TV. “There are basic values in this country and we should stand up and defend them.
“And where you see them fraying at the edges or frankly being completely destroyed – whether it’s sharia courts or wearing the burqa – these are issues we’re going to have to confront if we want to build the kind society that we want to hand onto our kids and grandkids.”
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Mr Jenrick pointed to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s plans to bring in laws to ban the burqa, the most concealing type of Islamic veil worn by women, as well as niqab face and body coverings in all public spaces across Italy. People who violate the ban would face a fine of €300 to €3,000 for wearing the garments in locations like shops, schools, universities and offices.
Former Home Secretary – and serving Tory MP – Suella Braverman said of the news: “If Italy is doing this, why aren’t we? We need to ban the burqa now.” Tory chair Kevin Hollinrake also appeared to back a ban.
France banned the wearing of burqas in public places in 2010.
In June, Ms Badenoch said a Conservative party under her leadership would not bring in an outright ban of the burqa, saying: “Are we going to send police officers into people’s homes to check if they’re wearing the burka at a time when we can’t even keep prisoners in prison, we’re releasing them?
“Do we have space in prison to put people wearing the burka in there? This is what I mean by people just saying things, announcing policies without plans.”
Nigel Farage has stopped short of saying he’d ban the burqa but has described the face covering as “anti-British” and called for a “debate” on them. A row kicked off in Reform UK after its then-Chairman Zia Yusuf quit – then un-quit – the party after criticising the party’s MP Sarah Pochin for demanding a ban on the burka.
Responding to Mr Jenrick’s comments, Downing Street said: “Britain has a proud tradition of religious tolerance within the law. The Government is committed to creating a strong and integrated society in which hatred and prejudice are not tolerated in which people are free to express their religious identity without fear of it resulting in harassment, discrimination or attack. Everyone has the legal right to freedom of religion and this includes the right to wear religious attire , except where limitations are proscribed by law.”
Labour MP for Bishop Auckland Sam Rushworth said: “That’s so anti-British. It goes against what our nation stands for.”
A Labour party spokeswoman said: “This is another open challenge to Kemi Badenoch’s authority from her once and future leadership rival. Just this summer the Tory leader said that banning the burka wouldn’t fix the problems of integration and that people should be allowed to wear whatever they want; now Robert Jenrick is saying the opposite.
“Kemi Badenoch has repeatedly proven herself to be too weak to stand up to her Shadow Justice Secretary – it’s a complete failure of leadership. While the Tories and Reform peddle division and anger, Labour is focussed on delivering the renewal Britain needs.”
A Muslim Council of Britain spokesperson said: “It seems Mr Jenrick’s latest policy idea is to out-Reform the Reform Party by policing what women wear. Once again, the supposed champions of freedom are the first to restrict it.
“Britain faces real challenges, yet some politicians would rather reach for the burqa debate to score easy headlines. It’s a tired distraction from real leadership, not a display of it.”
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