Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy has declared "I hate the niqab and the burqa" and branded it a "deliberate choice to cut women off from society".
Speaking at a fringe event at the Conservative Party Conference, Mr Timothy said it is "really bad for social trust" if "lots of people are covering their faces".
He told a Spectator event: "I hate the niqab and the burqa. I've said before, when I see a woman wearing that, I see a human being with a ball and chain around her ankle."
Attack on face coverings
Mr Timothy added: "It is a deliberate choice to cut women off from society, and I think the harm caused by that is not just to the women involved -- considerable as that may be.
"It's actually harmful to all of us. Because I think it's really bad for social trust if you live in a community where lots of people are covering their faces. It isn't even in the direct exchanges that you have.
"You're living among people who are cutting themselves off from you. And I think that deliberate manifestation of difference and a refusal to engage is just really, really damaging."
Previous controversy
Earlier this year, Kemi Badenoch had to defend her ally after he claimed that public Islamic prayers are an "act of domination".
This is a breaking story. More to follow.
