Boris Johnson’s dad Stanley declares support for his son over burka row and says he would ban the full-face veil in some walks of life
BORIS Johnson’s dad stepped into the burka row last night and insisted: “My son was spot on.”
Author and political pundit Stanley Johnson said he would go even further and ban the full-face veil in some walks of life.
Mr Johnson, 78 next week, said it was an own-goal for the Tory party to launch an inquiry into the former Foreign Secretary’s jibe.
He revealed he had read and re-read the article in which BoJo said Muslim women wearing a full veil resembled bank robbers or letter boxes and could see nothing wrong with it.
He declared: “Yes, Boris used some colourful language. That’s called ‘freedom of speech’ or it was in my day.
"But he said what needed to be said. As a matter of fact, I would have liked him to have gone a bit further.
He was against ‘banning the burka’. But surely, there are circumstances where a ban or appropriate restrictions would be in order.
"Shouldn’t female school-teachers, nurses or doctors be seen as well as heard? At least, the House of Commons could have a sensible debate on this issue.”
Mr Johnson stressed he is not totally uncritical of everything his son says or does but said on this occasion he has his full support – and that of many friends who have told him Boris “hit the nail on the head”.
He asked: “So why the all furore? Why has this disastrous ‘blue-on-blue’ warfare broken out? The Chairman of the Conservative Party is setting up a Committee of Enquiry into whether Boris’s use of the word ‘letter box’ breaches party rules.
“If that isn’t an own-goal, I don’t know what is. Mr Corbyn must be rubbing his hands with glee.
“Maybe it’s just the silly season. Seventeen years ago, John Prescott punched a protestor who threw an egg at him and lightened the national mood overnight. Where are you, John, today when we need you?”
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