Huge burqa row erupts on GB News as guest accuses Sarah Pochin of RACISM for demanding ban

She later added: "What she's talking about is actual racism, discrimination and against a particular group. It's against other women too."

The clash with People's Channel star Martin Daubney came after Pochin used her first parliamentary question to ask about implementing a burqa ban.

Earlier at Prime Minister's Questions, Pochin had asked Keir Starmer: "Given the prime minister's desire to strengthen strategic alignment with our European neighbours, will he in the interests of public safety, follow the lead of France, Denmark, Belgium and others and ban the burqa?"

The Reform MP for Runcorn and Helsby argued that such a ban would be "in the interest of public safety."

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Her question prompted gasps from MPs in the House of Commons.

Starmer responded: "I'm not going to follow her down that line."

The Prime Minister then criticised Reform's spending plans as "Liz Truss all over again" and pointed out that Pochin had been a Conservative MP when Truss became prime minister.

Reform UK later distanced itself from the question, confirming that a burqa ban is "not party policy."

During the GB News debate, Mahomed argued that "women going down to the shop in a niqab are not the threat. They are not the ones causing terrorism as some like to misrepresent."

She emphasised: "We have rules on freedom of expression and freedom of religion here. Pochin says she's a magistrate, for her to discriminate like that..."

Daubney countered by pointing out that countries like Norway, France and Netherlands have implemented various forms of face covering bans, challenging Mahomed's characterisation of these as far-right policies.

When Mahomed accused Pochin of being "against Muslim women", Daubney interjected: "You're big on saying 'we shouldn't tell women what to wear', but you are telling her what to think."

"She should be better," Mahomed responded, maintaining that Pochin's proposal constituted discrimination against a specific group.

Daubney argued: "One of the points raised by all these nations is, 'we have a multiculturalism problem'. We have silos in British cities where we have scant and lowering levels of cultural integration. One way to removing those barriers could be to remove the Burqa."

Mahomed rejected this, saying: "That's removing religious identity. That's coercion. That's telling someone what to wear."

She added: "When another woman is bringing someone down for no particular reason, there has been no terrorism from these women, they can barely run, let alone wage war in these outfits."

The debate concluded with Mahomed challenging the selective nature of such bans: "Some countries have taken away the Christian symbol and the Jewish Kippah, shall we do that as well?"