Boris Johnson reveals true stance on burka ban after GB News grilling over 'letterbox' jibe

GB News star Ben Leo reminded Mr Johnson that he previously compared niqab-wearing Muslim women to letterboxes.

However, Mr Johnson stood by his 2018 Telegraph column, which defended a woman's right to choose whether or not to wear the burka.

The ex-Prime Minister said: "That was in the context of an article that actually said that I didn't want to go around banning things. I'm more on the side of freedom."

He added: "I'm against imposing dress codes on adults too much, you know. We're a free country.

"Hamas doesn't let, you know, women go around with their heads uncovered. We don't want to get into Hamas territory of imposing certain types of clothing."

However, Mr Johnson did equivocate on certain situations where wearing a burka could prove problematic.

He told the People's Channel: "I think where I did I do have a problem is if I think if somebody came into my constituency office when I was an MP and I had a complete surgery with them and I couldn't see their face at all, it's a bit difficult and maybe in schools it's a bit difficult."

The burka row resurfaced in the UK earlier this year after Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin used her first appearance at Prime Minister's Questions to ask Sir Keir Starmer to debate the matter.

Ms Pochin's question sparked infighting within Reform UK's ranks, prompting Zia Yusuf to resign as chairman before returning to Nigel Farage's inner circle just 48 hours later.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has also proposed banning the burka to stop "Islamic separatism".

Ms Meloni is proposing a ban on the burka and niqab in all public places, including schools, universities, shops, and offices nationwide.

The Italian premier suggested that women who violate the proposed ban could face fines of £260 to £2,600.

Commenting on Ms Meloni's proposal, Mr Farage said: "The burka ban, of course, now several European countries have it. Several Muslim countries also have it.

"I think we have to get our definitions of this right - if we are going to ban the burka, what about other face coverings?

"This has to not just be about the burka, it has to be about face coverings in public as a whole.

"I have to say that some of the extreme-left Antifa protestors that we see, are allowed to go out, to say very, very, very unpleasant things.

"So, let's have a debate about face coverings in public as a whole, not just about the burka."

Polling conducted by More in Common in June found that 46 per cent of Britons support a ban on the burka in public spaces, with just 30 per cent opposing prohibiting items of cultural clothing.

The figure jumps to 59 per cent among 2024 Tory voters and 72 per cent among 2024 Reform UK voters supporting a ban.

During his sit-down interview with GB News, Mr Johnson was also quizzed on Robert Jenrick's remarks about not seeing "white faces" in a multicultural corner of Birmingham.

Speaking at an Aldridge-Brownhills Conservative Association dinner in March, the Shadow Justice Secretary claimed he “didn’t see another white face” in Handsworth.

Handsworth South's white population stood at just stood at 7.9 per cent in the 2021 Census, with Handsworth Wood's figure hitting just 13.5 per cent.

The proportion jumps to 15.9 per cent in Handsworth West and 22.5 per cent in Handsworth East, still well below the national average of 81.7 per cent across England and Wales.

However, Sir Keir Starmer was among those who criticised the Shadow Justice Secretary over his remarks.

Echoing comments made by ex-Tory West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, the Prime Minister said: "I think that what Andy Street said was right.

"Andy Street obviously was Mayor for a long time and knows the area very very well.

“We’re working hard on questions of integration but we need no lessons or lectures from Robert Jenrick on any of this. He’s clearly just engaging in a leadership campaign.”

However, Mr Johnson appeared to come to Mr Jenrick's defence.

"I think he was just making an observation about the place he was in," the former Prime Minister told GB News.

"Why are people upset with what he said? I think that as a society, we are far too bruise-easy about people saying things that they think."