27 January 2016

Tory MP calls for complete veil ban as it 'stops women from enjoying British values of smiling and saying hello'

A complete ban on women wearing veils should be introduced because it stops them from "smiling, waving and saying hello" in a very British way, a Tory MP has said.

Philip Hollobone said it was "really, really sad" that Britain would be a "miserable country" if everyone went about their business with their faces covered.

The MP for Kettering, who is calling for a complete ban on wearing the veil in public, told LBC radio: "I don't want to live in a country where we go around with our faces covered because part of the British way of life is smiling, waving and saying hello to passersby and if we're all going to go around with our faces covered it is going to be a very miserable place indeed.

"I think it is really, really sad in 2016 talking about it being acceptable to live in a miserable country where everyone goes around with their faces covered. How sad is that."

France passed a law in 2010 which bans the wearing of any face-covering headgear, including balaclavas, niqabs and other veils in public places. [The Telegraph] Read more