, Columnist
Banning Burqas Is the Wrong Move for the UK
Reform UK’s dog whistle call for head coverings to be outlawed should be resisted.
Zia Yusuf sits behind Sarah Pochin as she speaks at a Reform UK press conference in May.
Photographer: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images EuropeThe question rang out like a pistol shot across the House of Commons, where last week’s round of prime ministers’ questions had been passing in humdrum fashion. “Given the prime minister’s desire to strengthen strategic alignment with our European neighbors, will he — in the interests of public safety — follow the lead of France, Denmark, Belgium and others, and ban the burqa?”
A shocked Keir Starmer mumbled a few words and swiftly moved on without addressing the question from Sarah Pochin, a new member of parliament from the populist Reform UK party.