London – Brussels: Europe and the Arabs

Statements made by the Reform Party's candidate for Mayor of London have sparked widespread criticism, deemed offensive and inflammatory, and have opened a broad debate about freedom of belief and the limits of political discourse in a multicultural society, amid warnings of security and social repercussions for Muslims in Britain.

The Reform Party candidate for Mayor of London has been accused of endangering Muslims after saying that women wearing burqas should be subject to stop and search procedures. Layla Cunningham, who was announced last week as the party's candidate for the 2028 London mayoral election, said that no one should cover their face "in an open society," adding: "It should be assumed that if you are covering your face, you are covering it for a criminal purpose." According to the Brussels-based news network Euronews,

Speaking to the Standard newspaper's podcast, Cunningham said, "If you go to parts of London, you can really feel like it's a Muslim city. The signs are in a different language, and burqas are sold in the markets," adding that what's needed is "one civic culture" and "to be British."

Cunningham, a former Crown Prosecution Service prosecutor and a British-born Muslim of Egyptian descent, has faced Islamophobic abuse since announcing her leadership of the right-wing party's local election campaign in London. Despite this background, her critics argue that her remarks reflect an exclusionary discourse targeting Muslims in general and Muslim women in particular.

Reactions and Warnings of Escalation

Independent Lord Shaista Gohir, CEO of the Muslim Women's Network UK, described Cunningham's remarks as "dangerous" and "an incitement" to racists, warning that they would further marginalize Muslim women, including the burqa-wearing minority.

She explained that her organization had been forced to remove signs outside its offices and staff profile pictures due to a sharp increase in abusive and threatening messages. "We've received messages from sex trafficking rings saying all Muslims are scum, that Muslims are filth… It's hateful material, and it's only natural that people feel scared," she said.

Gohir added that Cunningham, despite her background, "is sending a message to Muslims that they don't belong in this country," and that she is "emboldening those who already abuse Muslims and influencing people who read this misinformation." She asked: “The number of Muslim women who wear the burqa in this country is very small, yet Cunningham has chosen to focus on this instead of the NHS, schools, or the cost of living. Will the police be stopping wealthy shoppers wearing burqas in Harrods, or is it only women in Whitechapel?”

In a newspaper interview, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said that attempts to “sow division” are nothing new, stressing that the mayor’s job is to unite people, not divide them. He added: “Without a doubt, our city is the greatest city in the world because of its diversity… How far do you want to go back on freedom of religion and freedom of expression? These are fundamental British rights that we are very proud of.”

For his part, Afzal Khan, the Labour MP for Manchester Rusholme, described Cunningham’s remarks as a “deliberate and opportunistic maneuver,” arguing that they were intended to “deliberately inject divisive ideas into society for electoral gain.” He pointed to research showing that Boris Johnson's past remarks, in which he likened Muslim women wearing niqabs to letterboxes, led to a rise in anti-Muslim attacks and abuse incidents, adding: "There are consequences for the words politicians use. What anyone wears is not the business of the state or politicians; freedom of choice is an individual right."

The niqab issue is a sensitive one within the Reform Party itself. Last July, former party leader Zia Yousaf described a question posed by party MP Sarah Buchan calling for a ban on the burqa as "stupid," insisting it did not reflect party policy. Then, on Friday, he reposted Cunningham's interview on the X platform, a move that further intensified the debate surrounding the party's stance.