Boris Johnson will not apologise for burka comments as allies accuse Brandon Lewis of 'shutting down' legitimate debate
Boris Johnson's allies have accused Brandon Lewis of attempting to "shut down" the legitimate debate about women wearing burkas and said he will not apologise for his comments on the issue.
The former Foreign Secretary sparked controversy after he said in an article for The Telegraph that women who wear face veils looked like bank robbers, prompting accusations he was stoking Islamophobia. Mr Lewis, the chairman of the Conservative Party, has called for him to apologise.
However an ally of Mr Johnson made clear that he would not be apologising, warning: "If we fail to speak up for liberal values then we are simply yielding ground to reactionaries and extremists.
"It is ridiculous that these views are being attacked - we must not fall into the trap of shutting down the debate on difficult issues."
Mr Johnson argued that Britain should not follow Denmark and other nations in banning women from wearing burkas, but warned that they are "oppressive" and that there is no "scriptural authority" for the practice in the Koran.
Brandon Lewis, the chairman of the Conservative Party, has asked Boris Johnson to apologise for comments he made about Muslim women wearing the burka.
It comes after Alistair Burt, the Foreign Office minister, described Mr Johnson’s comments as “offensive”.
Mr Burt, minister for the Middle East, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I would never have made such a comment, I think there is a degree of offence in that, absolutely right.
"What he was trying to make a serious point about is the UK Government will not enforce any clothing restriction on anyone."
Mr Burt added: "I wish he hadn't accompanied it with a comment that I certainly wouldn't make and I think many people would find offensive, yes."
Mr Lewis tweeted: “I agree with [MENTION=142460]AliS[/MENTION]tairBurtUK. I have asked @BorisJohnson to apologise.”
Writing in the Telegraph, Mr Johnson said he opposed a ban on face-covering veils, but said it was "absolutely ridiculous that people should choose to go around looking like letter boxes".
Labour responded to the row by calling for a new “broad-based nationwide movement to resist racism and the growth of the far right”.
John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, lumped Mr Johnson in with right-wing activist Tommy Robinson as he said anti-racists should seek to emulate the work of the Anti-Nazi League in the 1970s.
Mr McDonnell said: “With the scale of Tommy Robinson demonstrations, the storming of Bookmarks bookshop, and now Boris Johnson’s Islamophobic comments, we can no longer ignore the rise of far right politics in our society.
“Maybe it’s time for an Anti-Nazi League type cultural and political campaign to resist.”
Stanley Johnson defended his son's comments and told Good Morning Britain: "Come on, come on. What about metaphor or simile? Come on, I think we are just picking holes here. I think people are whipping up a little mountain out of a molehill on this one, I really do."
The Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen also backed Mr Johnson, saying he had been trying to raise the subject in a "lighthearted way".
He said: "I think if you can get your point across with a little bit of humour it's very much appreciated by the public.
"He has delivered an issue, which I think given Boris's personality and charisma he can deal with and I think it is an issue we need to speak about."
Meanwhile, former Tory chair Baroness Warsi accused Mr Johnson of adopting the "dog whistle" tactics of former Donald Trump aide Steve Bannon in the hope of attracting support from right-wing Tories for an eventual leadership bid.
Repeating her call for an independent inquiry into Islamophobia in the Conservative Party, Lady Warsi told Channel 4 News: "Muslim women should not be a useful political battleground for Old Etonians.
"It is crass and it must stop, and it must be condemned by the leadership right from the Prime Minister down."
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politic...-apologise-tory-party-chairman-brandon-lewis/