An MP belonging to UK’s ruling coalition has moved legislation in the House of Commons to ban the “burqa” or Islamic veil in public places on the ground that it is “against the British way of life”.
Philip Hollobone, the Conservative MP from Kettering, has moved a private members bill called the Face Coverings (Regulation) Bill, which had its first reading in the House on Wednesday.
The legislation seeks to regulate the use of “certain facial coverings” in public. He said this “would obviously have a big impact for those who wear full-face Islamic veils”.
He has previously described the “burqa” as being “against the British way of life”.
Explaining the bill, Mr Hollobone said: “I think it’s inappropriate to cover your face in public, whether it’s a burqa, a balaclava or anything else. “We are never going to get along with having a fully integrated society if a substantial minority insists on concealing their identity from everyone else.”
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‘Britain to boost ties with India’
AGE CORRESPONDENT
London
July 1: British foreign secretary William Hague, in his first speech on the Tory-LibDem government’s new foreign policy initiatives, highlighted the importance of strengthening ties with emerging economies Brazil, India and China.
However, Mr Hague made it clear that the British ties with the United States “would remain our main relationship.”
“Economic power and economic opportunity are shifting to the countries of the East and South; to the emerging powers of Brazil, India, China and Asia and to increasingly significant economies such as Turkey and Indonesia. It is estimated that by 2050 emerging economies will be up to 50 per cent larger than those of the current G7, including of course the United Kingdom. Yet the latest figures show we export more to Ireland than we do to India, China and Russia put together,” Mr Hague said at foreign and Commonwealth office on Thursday morning.
Mr Hague also mentioned Prime Minister David Cameron’s upcoming visit to India later this month. “The visit by the Prime Minister to India will identify how we can forge a partnership for the 21st century,” he said.