The chairman of Reform UK says it was "dumb" for the party's newest MP to call on the Prime Minister to ban the burqa.
Sarah Pochin, who last month was elected to represent the parliamentary seat of Runcorn and Helsby in Cheshire, asked Sir Keir Starmer whether Britain will join the likes of France and Denmark in banning the garment being worn in public.
The burqa, which is worn by some Muslim women, is a traditional dress that covers the entire body, including the face.
Ms Pochin, a former Conservative councillor and magistrate, urged Sir Keir to ban the clothing "in the interests of public safety" during her Prime Minister's Questions debut on Wednesday.
In response to Ms Pochin, Sir Keir told the Commons: "Can I welcome her to her place, but I’m not going to follow her down that line."
But Zia Yusuf, the Reform UK chairman, a self-described “British Muslim patriot”, suggested she should have chosen a different topic for her first PMQs.
He said on Thursday: "I do think it's dumb for a party to ask the PM if they would do something the party itself wouldn't do".
A Reform UK spokesman later clarified that banning burqas was not party policy and that it was not featured in its 2024 election manifesto.
Despite this, Mr Yusuf’s intervention has split the party, with Reform’s UK’s chief whip Lee Anderson rushing to Ms Pochin’s support.
"Ban the burka? Yes we should,” Mr Anderson posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “No one should be allowed to hide their identity in public."
Leader Nigel Farage was also critical of the covering, telling GB News: "I don't think face coverings in public places make sense, and I think we do deserve debate about that, which I see the burqa as being a part."
Reform UK's surge in the polls continues to falter in the wake of bitter infighting.
Earlier this year, Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe was forced out amid allegations of workplace bullying and threats made towards Mr Yusuf.
However, the investigation was later dropped by the Metropolitan Police with no further action taken.
