May: Right of women to choose how they dress

LONDON: It is not right for government to tell women what to wear, British Prime Minister Theresa May said yesterday, after the European Union’s Court of Justice ruled on Tuesday that companies can ban staff from wearing Islamic headscarves under certain conditions.

Asked about the ruling, May told Parliament: “We have a strong tradition in this country of freedom of expression, and it is the right of all women to choose how they dress and we don’t intend to legislate on this issue.

“There will be times when it is right for a veil to be asked to be removed... and individual institutions can make their own policies, but it is not for government to tell women what they can and can’t wear.” Reuters