Jonathan Lis’

Political
Culture

The Revealing Reappearance of the ‘Burqa Ban’

Sometimes a moment in politics can illuminate multiple aspects of our political and media culture.

One of these occurred at Prime Minister’s Questions on 4 June, when Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin asked Keir Starmer: “Given the Prime Minister’s desire to strengthen strategic alignment with our European neighbours, will he, in the interests of public safety, follow the lead of France, Denmark, Belgium and others and ban the burqa?”

The Prime Minister replied that he would not “follow her down that line” and swiftly pivoted to an attack line on Reform’s “unfunded tax cuts”.

Pochin is the country’s newest MP, having won the May by-election in Runcorn and Helsby to become Reform’s fifth parliamentarian (sixth, after the suspended Rupert Lowe). This was her first question to the Prime Minister.