Keeping Tory tongues in order is proving a nigh on impossible task for Conservative HQ of late, what with Big Dave and Justice Minister Crispin Blunt falling prey of corrected statements this week, and now Philip Hollobone has been rebuked for sitting on the wrong side of the Equality Act.
The Conservative MP for Kettering is currently attempting to introduce a Private Member’s Bill to ban burkas and niqabs in public, a la France, and recently said that he refused to speak to constituents wearing such religious apparel. However, his office has now received legal communications from the pressure group Liberty informing him that such action is tantamount to discrimination, and, to twist the knife, that Liberty itself would gladly represent any constituents discriminated against on these grounds. Given that his reasoning was that he needed to see constituents face-to-face, I suppose “I’ll see you in court” probably won’t cut it…
