Reform UK’s mayoral candidate for London has rejected claims her party is “pro-hate” and said she plans to march for gay rights, while standing by controversial comments about face coverings in the capital.
In an exclusive interview with GB News, Laila Cunningham said those with racist views should “jog on” rather than support her campaign.
Speaking to Gloria De Piero in an interview due to air on Saturday (February 14), Ms Cunningham addressed criticism of Reform UK and her own previous remarks about the burqa.
She said her personal experiences have shaped her stance on a number of issues, including gay rights.
She told GB News: “I will always march for gay rights. People very close to me were arrested in Egypt for being gay and tortured in prison. My best friends are gay and I will always march for gay rights. It does not mean that I am pro trans rights because, and I’ve always been very forthright about that.
“But I do want to get out the message in London that we’re really not about hate. We (Reform) are about, though, prioritising the people of this country. And if you love this country, no matter where you’re from, who you pray to, or who you choose to love, Reform is for you.”
Asked what her message would be to those holding vile or racist views, she replied: “Oh. Jog on. What people have to understand is Reform is not about hate, at all. And those who want to demonize or hate certain groups, it’s not what we’re about.”
Earlier this year, Ms Cunningham, who was announced as Reform’s candidate for the 2028 mayoral election in January, said no one should cover their face “in an open society”.
She told a podcast at the time: “It has to be assumed that if you’re hiding your face, you’re hiding it for a criminal reason. If you go to parts of London, it does feel like a Muslim city. The signs are written in a different language. You’ve got burqas being sold in markets.” She said there should be “one civic culture” and it “should be British”.
Pressed again on those comments during the GB News interview, she said: “So the burqa has nothing to do with religion. The Quran says you have to be modest. It is a form of oppression. It’s banned in certain Middle Eastern countries, in Tunisia you cannot wear the burqa. And for me it is a sign of oppression. But I don’t think that you should tell people what to wear. Who am I to tell a woman if she wants to wear it? What I am saying is that if you have a face covering in London, I want to see that as a reason to stop and search. I have actually spoken to a few shops in Knightsbridge where they said people do come in a burqa and they steal.
“If you ban all face coverings, but you let women wear a burqa, what prevents criminals from wearing it and committing crime? In Laila’s London I would expect that if you are wearing a face covering, that would be a reason to be stopped and searched by the police.”
She added: “It really has nothing to do with religion. It’s oppressive. It is a form of oppression, and it has absolutely nothing to do with religion. And listen, if you want to wear the burqa and you want your wife to wear the burqa, and you don’t want any kind of criticism or pushback on that, perhaps England is not the country for you.”
