Should the UK ban full-face veils like the burqa and niqab in public?
The UK has no general national ban on full-face veils such as the burqa or niqab in public. Limited restrictions exist for security, identification in courts or airports, and new 2026 rules allow police to designate mask-free zones at protests. Several European countries have implemented broader bans on security, integration and social cohesion grounds while right-wing UK politicians and parties including Reform continue to call for a prohibition.
4 Opinions
I find it ironic that the fundamentalist Iranian Republic is executing young women for refusing to comply with the requirement to wear the veil we are in a tizzy about women in the UK choosing to wear it. We should recognise the danger of religious extremism but the ‘ban hammer’ is a blunt and inaccurate remedy.
While I respect religious freedom, there is no Islamic law to make women cover their faces. It's a decision made by the women and possibly their fathers, husbands, to show how devout they are. Many find the full face cover intimidating, so yes, while out in public we want to see your face, get to know you as a person.
Not banning them entirely, no. Do we seriously want coppers who can't even investigate burglaries effectively spending their shifts policing women's wardrobes on the high street? However, I do think that they should be treated the same as balaclavas... as full face veils are not a Quranic requirement, so should be removed if there is a Public Space Prevention Order banning face coverings, "mask free zones" as part of protest zones or private property policies etc...
Full face veils are not a requirement of Islam, there is nothing at all about then in the Quran, they are additions made by Arabic men to help them to repress women, they have no place in the 21st century. This vote would NOT ban the Hijab, which is the Islamic head covering such as a scarf, and so it is not Islamophobic, but it is about loosening the repression of women and promoting integration. Vote for the 21st century, not the 15th century.