Johnson attempts to steer clear of row over his burka comments

Boris Johnson has sought to move on from the row about his comments on the burka by devoting his latest newspaper column to plans for encouraging house building.

The former foreign secretary called for cuts to stamp duty and warned of an “oligopoly” of construction firms reducing the supply of new homes by “land-banking”.

He has yet to respond to allegations of Islamophobia resulting from an article a week ago in which he compared Muslim women in face-covering veils to letter-boxes and bank robbers.

Nor has he commented on demands for an apology from Theresa May and Tory chairman Brandon Lewis.

He refused to comment to reporters at his Oxfordshire home after returning from holiday in Italy, instead offering them cups of tea.

The Muslim Council of Britain told Theresa May yesterday that the investigation by the Conservative Party into Mr Johnson must not be a “whitewash”.

In a letter the MCB said: “We are hopeful that the party will not allow any whitewashing of this specific inquiry currently in process.

“No one should be allowed to victimise minorities with impunity.”

The Tell Mama project, which monitors anti-Muslim violence, has reported an increase in incidents of abuse aimed at women wearing the niqab or hijab over the past week.

Far-right US activist Steve Bannon, who contacted Mr Johnson on his recent visit to the UK, urged him not to “bow at the altar of political correctness” by apologising.

Former first secretary of state Damian Green said he feared Mr Johnson was “being turned into a martyr by the alt-Right”, which would be “a disaster for him and the Conservative Party”.

Mr Johnson made no mention of the furore in his column, in which he described the shortage of housing as “the single biggest and most urgent crisis we face”.

Writing as Mrs May launched her plans to tackle homelessness, Mr Johnson warned of a crisis of confidence in capitalism if young people are unable to buy a home.