Reform’s Laila Cunningham who is a candidate to become the new London Mayor has said that Muslim women who are wearing burkas should be stopped by the police and searched.
Cunningham, who is Muslim, said parts of London feels “like a Muslim city” and she has said that she will ban face coverings.
Sha said wearing a burka “would give the police justifiable reason to carry out a stop-and-search operation”.
Cunningham told The Standard podcast, “I would look to ban face coverings, if I could, but I would like to make it a reason for stop and search.
“I don’t think in an open society you need to cover your face. I’ve prosecuted a woman in a burka. It has to be assumed that if you’re hiding your face, you’re hiding it for a criminal reason.”
In June 2025 she resigned from the CPS as a prosecutor and then moved from the Conservatives to Reform UK.
Earlier this week in an interview with The Standard Cunningham said London must stay “British” and the capital is not a “Muslim city” and she wants to see a “Judeo-Christian culture and British culture celebrated more in London.”
The Standard asked her if wearing a burka allows the police to stop and search, she told the podcast, “Yes. Burkas are banned in many Muslim countries.
“They are not religious. They are part of a tradition inflicted and they’ve got nothing to do with religion.
“I don’t think in an open society people should cover their face. It provides a cloak of anonymity for criminals.”
