Boris Johnson burka row: Tories should ditch MP, peer says

BBC: Boris Johnson should be kicked out of the Conservative Party for his remarks about the burka, a Muslim peer says.
Conservative Muslim Forum founder Lord Sheikh told BBC Newsnight demands from the PM for an apology were not enough.
He has called for Mr Johnson to have the whip removed – meaning the MP would no longer represent the Tory party.
Mr Johnson said Muslim women wearing burkas “look like letter boxes” and compared them to “bank robbers”. A source said he stood by the comments.
Lord Sheikh, a former adviser to David Cameron, said: “Take the whip from him. Why not? He’s not a super human being, he’s a member of the party. The party chairman, the prime minister has the right to take the whip.
“It’s not out of order and that’s the thing I’d like to see.”
Speaking earlier, Lord Sheikh said Mr Johnson’s remarks would harm community relations.
Mr Johnson’s comments, in a Daily Telegraph article, have provoked criticism from Muslim groups, some Tory MPs and opposition parties.
In the article, he said full-face veils should not be banned but looked “ridiculous”.
Conservative Party chairman Brandon Lewis has said he agreed with Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt that there had been degree of offence in Mr Johnson’s comments, and called on the former London mayor to apologise.
Theresa May later backed calls for Mr Johnson to apologise, saying the remarks had “clearly caused offence”.