There’s trouble in paradise, it seems. Perhaps the most eye-catching moment at yesterday’s PMQs came when Sarah Pochin, Reform’s newest MP, stood up to grill Keir Starmer for the first time. The moment was heavily trailed by deputy leader Richard Tice, who promised it would be ‘interesting’ in a video on X. Pochin duly rose and asked Keir Starmer the following:
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?
So, who exactly is speaking for the party on this?
Lee Anderson, sat beside her, was heard muttering: ‘Here, here!’ He later posted on X: ‘Ban the burqa? Yes we should. No one should be allowed to hide their identity in public.’ Given Anderson’s role as the party’s chief whip, you’d think that the Reform disciplinarian would be speaking the party line.
So it was to some surprise then that a Reform spokesman swiftly confirmed that banning the burqa was ‘not party policy’. Chairman Zia Yusuf got involved, writing online that ‘I learnt about the question and the party’s position re it not being policy for the first time on my X feed. I’m busy with UK DOGE.’
In a follow-up post to Katie Hopkins (remember her?) he added:
Nothing to do with me. Had no idea about the question nor that it wasn’t policy. Busy with other stuff. I do think it’s dumb for a party to ask the PM if they would do something the party itself wouldn’t do.
So, who exactly is speaking for the party on this? Mr S and millions of voters would love to know…
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