Overview

• Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin pressed the prime minister to support a burqa ban at PMQs, prompting chairman Zia Yusuf to resign in protest before returning two days later.
• Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said employers should be able to ban burqas at work and that she will not meet constituents who refuse to remove face coverings at her surgeries.
• Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice urged a national debate on a full burqa ban, citing precedents in seven other European countries.
• Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp backed employer discretion over face coverings for clear communication but stopped short of a universal prohibition in his own constituency.
• Legal experts caution that blanket bans on religious dress could breach equality and human rights legislation unless justified by legitimate aims such as health, safety or effective interaction.