Schools, courts and any other public institution which wants to ban Muslim women from wearing the veil can expect the full backing of the Government, David Cameron declared yesterday.

The Prime Minister’s intervention will be seen as an invitation for the likes of hospitals, town halls and police stations to impose controversial restrictions on wearing head coverings.

MPs said it was a step forward in the often heated decade-long debate over whether Britain should ban face coverings in circumstances where people are in face-to-face contact with public bodies.

Bans could apply to public-sector staff serving the public – or women visiting state-run buildings.
In recent years, there have been huge rows over whether the veil should be outlawed when people are in the dock at court, or children are attending school with their face covered.

Detailing his latest integration strategy, the PM said he would not back a French-style outright ban on wearing the veil in public.