Reform UK MSs call for ban on Muslim face coverings in heated Senedd debate

Opposition politicians and Muslim Council of Wales condemn debate as authoritarian and Islamophobic; no vote held and Senedd lacks power to enact ban

By LineZotpaper

Published22 October 2026

Read Time3 min

Welsh Parliament members from Reform UK used a short debate on Wednesday to call for a ban on Muslim face coverings such as the burka and niqab, sparking angry exchanges and accusations of Islamophobia from opposition politicians and the Muslim Council of Wales. A protest took place on the Senedd steps ahead of the debate. The Senedd has no power to impose such a ban.

Reform UK MSs used a short debate in the Senedd on Wednesday evening to call for Muslim religious face coverings, including the burka, to be banned. The party's Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr MS, Jason O'Connell, who called the debate, began by linking face coverings to young men wearing balaclavas and anti-social behaviour, arguing that coverings allow individuals to conceal their identity from authorities. Turning to the burka, he said the party had no issue with Islam or Muslims but objected to people "living amongst our communities hiding their identities."

Fellow Reform MS Francesca O'Brien described face coverings including the burka as "anti-British," adding that "not all cultures are equal" and that the UK could not "continue to import alien cultures into this country and expect integration." Reform MS Joe Martin said the burka and niqab were "two of the many ways in which fundamentalist Islam is uniquely incompatible with Western civilisation."

Opposition members responded with strong criticism. Deputy First Minister Sioned Williams accused Reform of conflating intimidating behaviour by thugs with religious practice, and drew a comparison to the Nuremberg Laws of 1930s Germany, which she said led to the persecution and extermination of Jews. Her comments prompted angry protests and a point of order from Reform benches.

Plaid Cymru MS Carrie Harper asked how Reform could claim to stand up for women while dictating what Muslim women can wear. Plaid MS Kiera Marshall reported a physical attack on a Muslim woman in her constituency, saying the attacker shouted about removing her headscarf while assaulting her, and warned that Reform's rhetoric was fuelling such incidents. Labour MS Huw Thomas noted that Reform had not condemned masked mobs who stormed RNLI stations following anti-migrant protests.

Ahead of the debate, a protest took place on the Senedd steps, with Plaid Cymru and Labour MSs joining later. Suwayba Hussein from Cardiff accused Reform of using the debate to push Islamophobia, calling the party racist. During the debate, O'Connell dismissed accusations of racism and Islamophobia as "tired, ineffective, and clearly wildly inaccurate."

Dr Abdul Azim Ahmed of the Muslim Council of Wales described the debate as demonstrating "disturbingly authoritarian attitudes" and "dangerously ultra nationalist attitudes about culture and belonging." There was no vote on the topic. The Senedd has no power to ban face coverings. Reform UK has previously said it would ban face coverings in public places if it won power at the next Westminster election.

Opposition parties and individual MSs can use Wednesday short debates to raise topics. Since the election, Reform, the second largest group in the Welsh Parliament, has used these to spark heated debates. The presiding officer, Huw Irranca-Davies, did not consider the debate's title to be disorderly, discriminatory or offensive before it proceeded.

Analysis

Why This Matters

The debate puts Muslim women in Wales at the centre of a political row over religious expression and national identity, with community leaders warning it could increase Islamophobia and hate incidents.
It highlights the growing influence of Reform UK in the Welsh Parliament as the second largest group, using procedural debates to force contentious cultural issues onto the agenda even without legislative power.
The Senedd's lack of jurisdiction over face coverings means the debate was symbolic, but it may feed into a wider UK-wide Reform policy push ahead of the next general election.

Background

Reform UK is the second largest party in the Welsh Parliament following the last Senedd election. Short debates on Wednesdays can be called by individual MSs to raise topics of their choosing, provided the presiding officer does not deem the language disorderly or offensive. The party has used this mechanism previously for debates on the Nation of Sanctuary and on foreign nationals in house shares. The Senedd, as a devolved institution, does not have powers over face coverings, which would fall to the UK government. Reform UK has said it would ban face coverings in public places if it won a UK general election.

Key Perspectives

Reform UK MSs: Argue face coverings in public should be banned for all, linking religious coverings to balaclava-wearing individuals they say are fuelling anti-social behaviour. They maintain the ban is about safety and integration, not religion, and deny accusations of racism. Opposition (Labour, Plaid Cymru): Condemn the call as Islamophobic and dangerous, pointing to attacks on Muslim women and arguing that religious face coverings are a personal choice compatible with British and Welsh values. They accuse Reform of stoking division. Muslim Council of Wales: Describes the debate as demonstrating authoritarian attitudes and extreme nationalism, warning it will increase hostility toward Muslim communities.

What to Watch

Future short debates: Reform may continue to use Wednesdays to raise similar topics, testing the boundaries of Senedd rules on disorderly language.
UK general election: Reform's Westminster policy on banning face coverings could become a campaign issue if the party gains traction.
Community impact: Any increase in reported hate incidents or protests involving Muslim communities in Wales following the debate.

Sources

Angry scenes and protests at Senedd as Reform call for ban on Muslim face coverings · BBC Wales

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 9 supported.

Show each claim

Partly supportedOpposition politicians and the Muslim Council of Wales condemned the debate as both authoritarian and Islamophobic.BBC Wales: “Following the debate, Dr Abdul Azim Ahmed of the Muslim Council of Wales said: “This debate demonstrated the disturbingly authoritarian attitudes members of Reform UK hold, coupled with dangerously ultra nationalist attitudes about culture and belonging.””
SupportedReform UK MSs called for a ban on Muslim face coverings in a heated Senedd debate.BBC Wales: “There were bad-tempered and dramatic exchanges in the Senedd on Wednesday night as members of Reform called for Muslim religious face coverings, such as the burka, to be banned.”
Partly supportedThe debate sparked angry exchanges and accusations of Islamophobia from opposition politicians and the Muslim Council of Wales.BBC Wales: “The comments led to angry protests and finger-pointing from the Reform benches.”
SupportedO’Connell said the party had no issue with Islam or Muslims but objected to people “living amongst our communities hiding their identities.”BBC Wales: ““We have no issue or problem with Islam or Muslims.” With opposing members heckling as he spoke, he added: “We do have an issue with people living amongst our communities hiding their identities.””
SupportedO’Brien called face coverings “anti-British” and said “not all cultures are equal.”BBC Wales: “fellow Reform MS Francesca O’Brien told the Senedd that face coverings, including the burka, were “anti-British”. “Not all cultures are equal,” she said”
SupportedMartin called the burka and niqab “two of the many ways in which fundamentalist Islam is uniquely incompatible with Western civilisation.”BBC Wales: “Reform MS Joe Martin said the burka and niqab were “two of the many ways in which fundamentalist Islam is uniquely incompatible with Western civilization”.”
SupportedWilliams compared Reform’s argument to the Nuremberg Laws and said they led to the persecution and extermination of Jews.BBC Wales: “The Jewish people of 1930s Germany were subject to the Nuremberg Laws, which stated they were no longer German, laws which led to their persecution and extermination by the state”
SupportedMarshall reported that an attacker assaulted a Muslim woman while shouting about removing her headscarf, and said Reform’s rhetoric was fuelling such incidents.BBC Wales: ““The attacker shouted at her about removing her headscarf and continued to do exactly this while physically assaulting her,” she said. “This is exactly what the rhetoric that Reform is peddling is doing.””
Partly supportedThomas said Reform had not condemned masked mobs that stormed RNLI stations.BBC Wales: “Labour’s Huw Thomas said he had not heard Reform condemn “the masked mobs who stormed RNLI stations across of South Coast, last month”.”
SupportedThere was no vote on the topic, and the Senedd would have no power to ban face coverings.BBC Wales: “There was no vote on the topic. The Senedd would have no power to ban face coverings.”
SupportedHussein accused Reform of using the debate to push Islamophobia and called the party racist.BBC Wales: “Suwayba Hussein from Cardiff, accused Reform of using the debate “to push Islamophobia”. “The Reform party are a racist party, and this is another way of them pushing their racism into mainstream debate.””
SupportedThe presiding officer did not consider the debate title disorderly, discriminatory or offensive before it proceeded.BBC Wales: “The topic of short debates must not contain language considered by the presiding officer to be disorderly, discriminatory or offensive. BBC Wales was told before the debate proceeded that the Senedd’s presiding officer, Huw Irranca-Davies, did not consider the title - “full-face coverings are against British values” - to be against the guidance.”

Correction

22 October 2026An earlier version of this story said the debate sparked a protest on the Senedd steps. The protest began before the debate.