A Birmingham councillor has stepped down from his cabinet duties following scrutiny of his actions in a row over hijabs in schools.
Waseem Zaffar, Birmingham Council’s Labour cabinet member for equalities, was involved in a debate about a Catholic school banning a Muslim girl from wearing a hijab.
Earlier tonight, he released this statement about his decision to step down from his duties on the cabinet:
"Birmingham is my city and I feel privileged to have served as a cabinet member on my council.
"But after careful consideration and in light of continued media and social media speculation, I have discussed the situation with the leader of the council and I have decided I will step aside from my cabinet role with immediate effect
"I will be asking the city council to commission an independent review into all current and historical speculation against me. "Clearly this speculation is a distraction for Birmingham City Council at a time when John Clancy's administration has important work to do. So I believe this is the right decision. – Cllr Waseem Zaffar. [ITV] Read more
