Burka-ban MP faces court threat from human rights group

Tory MP has been warned he could face legal action if he follows through on a threat to refuse to meet constituents wearing burkas.

Lawyers for human rights organisation Liberty have written to Philip Hollobone insisting that the Equality Act obliges him to avoid discrimination.

The missive warns that the campaigning group ‘will be happy to represent any of your constituents that you refuse to meet because they are veiled’.

Philip Hollobone: has been warned he could face legal action if he follows through on a threat to refuse to meet constituents wearing burkhas

The Kettering MP sparked a row earlier this month when he argued that he needed to be face-to-face with voters who wanted his help.

He said he would ‘invite’ anyone who did not wish to remove their veil to communicate with him in a ‘different way’, such as by letter.

Mr Hollobone is trying to bring in a private member’s Bill to ban women wearing the burka or niqab in public, after French moves to introduce a similar law.

The MP’s comments were criticised by Muslim groups, while the idea of a ban was dismissed by Government Ministers as ‘un-British’.

James Welch, legal director for Liberty, said: ‘We have written to Mr Hollobone to advise him of the law as enacted by Parliament and feel confident that no well-advised Honourable Member would seek to breach it by meeting with constituents on a discriminatory basis.