The launch of Ukip’s new ‘integration agenda’ today was notable for two reasons. Firstly, Paul Nuttall refused to say whether he would seek a parliamentary seat in the snap election — eventually barricading himself in a locked room away from pesky hacks.
The second thing to note was Ukip’s focus on the burqa. Overall, the new agenda had a distinctly anti-Islam focus. Nuttall — along with deputy leader Peter Whittle — said a Ukip government would pass a law against the wearing of face coverings in public places, enforce an immediate closure of schools where there is evidence of Islamist ideology being taught, and bring in annual school-based medical checks on girls at risk of suffering FGM. They added that these should also take place whenever said girls return from trips overseas.
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