http://www.smh.com.au/world/britain-wont-ban-the-burqa-20100718-10g2n.html
Britain won't ban the burqa July 19, 2010 LONDON: Britain will not follow France by introducing a law banning women from wearing the burqa, the Immigration Minister says. Damian Green said such a move would be ''rather un-British'' and run contrary to conventions of a ''tolerant and mutually respectful society''. It would be ''undesirable'' for Parliament to vote on a burqa ban and there was no prospect of the Coalition government proposing it, Mr Green said. His decision will disappoint some Tory MPs, including Philip Hollobone, who has tabled a private member's bill that would make it illegal for anyone to cover their face in public. Mr Hollobone said at the weekend that he would refuse to hold any constituency meetings with women wearing burqas. A YouGov survey last week found that 67 per cent of voters wanted the wearing of full-face veils to be made illegal. The right-wing United Kingdom Independence Party has also supported calls for a ban in the wake of last week's 335-1 vote in the French National Assembly to outlaw full-face veils, including burqas, in public. Mr Green said he was sending a ''message around the world that Britain is a no longer a soft touch on immigration''. He said there would be a crackdown on the main streams of illegal immigration - including sham marriages, illegal workers and people trafficking - and confirmed the government would set a cap on migrants entering Britain from outside the European Union. Telegraph, London
