Reform UK MP Jeered in Commons Over Burka Ban Call

Sarah Pochin, the new Reform UK MP for Runcorn and Helsby, used her first Prime Minister's Questions appearance to ask Sir Keir Starmer if he would follow several European countries by banning the burka, citing public safety concerns. Her question was met with jeers and criticism in the Commons, and Starmer declined to engage with the topic, instead criticizing Pochin's past as a Conservative councillor and questioning her party's fiscal policies. Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf later called Pochin's choice of question "dumb," noting that a burka ban is not party policy and expressing surprise that she was unaware of this. The incident revealed internal tensions within Reform UK, which has seen recent infighting and controversy. Conservative former Foreign Secretary James Cleverly criticized Starmer for refusing to answer Pochin's question, describing it as unacceptable behavior for a government minister. The burka, a full-body and face veil worn by some Muslim women, has been banned in countries including France, Denmark, Belgium, and Austria, but the issue remains divisive in UK politics.