Sarah Pochin stuns Parliament with ‘public safety’ call to outlaw face veils – but even her OWN PARTY distances itself from controversial demand
A Reform UK MP sparked uproar in the House of Commons today by demanding Britain follows France, Denmark and Belgium in BANNING the burqa – only for her own party to frantically distance itself from the explosive proposal.
Sarah Pochin, who sensationally snatched the Runcorn and Helsby seat from Labour just weeks ago, used her maiden PMQs appearance to deliver the incendiary demand that left MPs gasping and jeering in equal measure.
The former Tory councillor’s bombshell question to Sir Keir Starmer sent shockwaves through Westminster – with even Conservative Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp declaring people should “have the freedom to wear what they want.
THE MOMENT THAT STUNNED PARLIAMENT
Rising to her feet for the first time in the Commons, Pochin dropped her political grenade: “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 question was met with audible GROANS from across the chamber, though at least one MP was heard shouting “hear, hear!
Sir Keir Starmer, visibly taken aback, paused before delivering a withering response: “Can I welcome her to her place, but I’m not going to follow her down that line.
REFORM IN RETREAT
In extraordinary scenes, Reform UK scrambled to distance itself from its newest MP’s controversial demand within HOURS of the PMQs clash.
A Reform spokesman confirmed: “Banning the burqa is NOT party policy, but it needs a national debate, which is what the House is for.
The dramatic U-turn left political insiders questioning whether Nigel Farage has lost control of his MPs – or if this was a calculated attempt to grab headlines while maintaining plausible deniability.
POCHIN DOUBLES DOWN
But in an explosive GB News interview hours later, an unrepentant Pochin REFUSED to back down, accusing Starmer of “dodging” her question because he fears the electoral consequences.
“It will [impact them] and I believe that’s why he refused to answer my question,” she fumed. “They do not want to go down this road, even though they know this is what the British people want from their Government.”
The Reform MP went even further, declaring: “I’m keen to have ANY face covering in public banned. Our society is about CCTV and the police need access to this. How on earth can the police know the risks if people have their faces covered up?
THE EUROPEAN PRECEDENT
Pochin’s demand comes as burqa bans sweep across Europe:
FRANCE: Banned face veils in 2011 – fines of €150 for women, €30,000 for men forcing wives to wear them
DENMARK: Implemented ban in 2018 – fines up to 10,000 kroner (£1,150) for repeat offenders
BELGIUM: Banned in 2011 – upheld by European Court of Human Rights in 2017
NETHERLANDS: Partial ban since 2019 in schools, hospitals and public transport
AUSTRIA: Full ban since 2017 following parliamentary vote
BULGARIA: Banned in 2016 with fines up to €770 and suspension of social benefits
POLITICAL FIRESTORM
The fallout was immediate and brutal:
LABOUR MP Mike Tapp confirmed: “This isn’t a policy we will look to push through at this time. It’s simply because there is choice there.”
SHADOW HOME SECRETARY Chris Philp opposed the ban: “Fundamentally I do believe in freedom, and I believe that people should have the choice to wear whatever they want.
DAN HODGES tweeted: “Sarah Pochin gets her first PMQs opportunity. She throws it away by asking a daft question about banning the burqa. How is that the priority of people in Runcorn?”
But former Home Secretary JAMES CLEVERLY backed Pochin, slamming Starmer’s response as “unacceptable behaviour” and accusing him of refusing to answer MPs’ questions.
THE SECURITY DEBATE
Pochin insisted her question was driven by constituents’ concerns about “national security and cultural integration.
“This is a huge security risk. We don’t know who’s coming over on these boats, let alone who is underneath these Burqas,” she declared.
But Labour’s Mike Tapp, drawing on counterterrorism experience, dismissed these claims: “I can assure you, the Burqa is not a security threat.”
STARMER’S SWERVE
Rather than engage with the burqa debate, the Prime Minister pivoted to attack Reform’s economic plans, jibing: “Now she is here, and safely in her place, perhaps she can tell her new party leader that his latest plan to spend £80 billion of unfunded tax cuts with no idea how he’s going to pay for it, is Liz Truss all over again.
Labour MP Dan Tomlinson admitted he was “surprised” by Pochin’s choice, claiming “no one raised that issue with me” when campaigning in her constituency.
THE NUMBERS GAME
The debate comes as estimates suggest:
- Only 200-400 women wear burqas or niqabs in the Netherlands (population 17 million)
- Just THREE women in Latvia wear them (population 2 million)
- Around 30 women in Belgium (Muslim population 500,000)
WOMEN’S RIGHTS BATTLEGROUND
The controversy has reignited fierce debates about women’s rights, religious freedom and integration.
Amnesty International has condemned European burqa bans as “an infringement of women’s right to choose what they wear” that could “confine them to their homes.
The European Court of Human Rights upheld France’s ban in 2014, accepting the government’s argument it was based on “a certain idea of living together.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
With Labour ruling out any ban and even the Conservatives opposing the measure, Pochin’s demand appears dead on arrival.
But the Reform MP vowed to continue her campaign: “It is a Reform government that would be brave enough to say ‘enough is enough, we need to stop this’.
The explosive exchange has exposed deep divisions not just between parties but within them – and guaranteed that Britain’s burqa debate is far from over.
