Boris not bothered

Former UK foreign secretary Boris Johnson has refused to bow to pressure from the Prime Minister and the Conservative Party leadership to apologise for his “offensive” comments about burqas. Mr Johnson (above) caused outrage with a newspaper article comparing women in the face-covering veils to bank robbers.

FORMER UK foreign secretary Boris Johnson has refused to bow to pressure from the Prime Minister and the Conservative Party leadership to apologise for his “offensive” comments about burqas.

Mr Johnson caused outrage with a newspaper article comparing women in the facecovering veils to bank robbers, with Conservative Party chairman Brandon Lewis ordering him to apologise for the remarks.

But the standoff continued even after Theresa May added her voice to calls for him to apologise – although she swerved questions about whether his comments amounted to Islamophobia.

With no apology forthcoming, former Conservative parliamentary candidate Shazia Awan-Scully accused Mr Johnson of “pandering to the extreme right”, comparing his comments to Enoch Powell’s divisive Rivers of Blood speech, and said he should be sacked.

“If you cast your mind back 50 years to when Enoch Powell gave his Rivers of Blood speech, he was sacked from the shadow cabinet immediately,” she told BBC Newsnight.

“Boris Johnson can say anything and get away with it.”

Picture: AFP Britain’s outspoken former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is embroiled in controversy over his burqa comments.