Boris Johnson has been reported to the Equalities and Human Rights Commission after suggesting women wearing niqabs resembled "letter boxes" and "bank robbers".
The remarks from the former foreign secretary came as he said it was wrong for Denmark to impose fines on those wearing the burka or niqab in the streets.
Describing the Muslim headgear as “oppressive” in a column for the Daily Telegraph, Mr Johnson added: “I would go further and say it is absolutely ridiculous that people should choose to go around looking like letter boxes.”
He continued: “If a female student turned up at school or at a university lecturer looking like a bank robber then ditto: those in authority should be allowed to converse openly with those that they are being asked to instruct.”
While Mr Johnson said these restrictions were “sensible” he opposed a full ban in public places and claimed that “one day, I am sure, they will go”.
In response, Labour MP Jess Philips reported Mr Johnson to EHRC over his remarks. “I’d like to report Boris Johnson for refusing a service to someone based on at least two of the protected characteristics outline in the Equality Act, 2010,” she said.
Her Labour colleague, David Lammy, added: “Muslim women are having their burkas pulled off by thugs in our streets and Boris Johnson’s response is to mock them for ‘looking like letter boxes’.
“Our pound-shop Donald Trump is fanning the flames of Islamophobia to propel his grubby electoral ambitions.”
Miqdaad Versi, the assistant general secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain, posted on his Twitter account: “Boris Jonson says a woman in niqab is ‘looking like a bank robber’ or ‘looking like letter boxes’. Is this language anything other than pandering to the far-right?”
Labour MP Stella Creasy added that voters in a potential Conservative leadership contest should note that Mr Johnson appeared to be positioning himself as a figure in the mould of US right-winger and former Trump aide Steve Bannon.
She warned he was in danger of “going full Morrissey”, in reference to the singer who has been mired in controversy over comments on immigration, and said her advice to Mr Johnson was that “being a buffoon, not being a racist and misogynist, (is) more British”.
Christine Jardine, the Liberal Democrat’s foreign affairs spokesperson, said: “Mr Johnson’s irresponsible comments mocking women who wear a burka are abhorrent. He has proven himself yet again to be a xenophobe.
“This desperate pitch to stay in the news completely disregards the women who are facing daily discrimination on our streets.
“He should instead be fighting to protect everyone’s right to live their lives as they choose. That is what responsible politicians do.”
Last week Denmark followed France, Germany, Austria and Belgium in banning face-covering garments like the burka and niqab in public places. A fine of around £120 has already been imposed on a woman wearing a niqab in a shopping centre in the town of Horsholm, after another woman reportedly tried to tear it off.
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