Badenoch backs face covering ban at protest
BBCConservative leader Kemi Badenoch says she would support a ban on face coverings at protests if police believe one is needed.
Her comments follow protests in Dover on 5 September when men wearing black clothing and balaclavas blocked the main roads for several hours.
Badenoch said she respected people's right to protest but was "not a fan of face coverings", adding: "What I don't want to see is people using protest as a cover for committing crimes and believing that they can hide from them."
Kent Police said it was considering whether to take steps to order the removal of face coverings under legislation available to the police.
Badenoch said: "The fundamental problem really isn't about people wearing face coverings, it is that we have a problem at the border and no one is doing anything about it.
"We've got to stop the boats, and I have got a plan to stop the boats."
She said the UK should leave the European Convention on Human Rights "so that we can deport people and also detain many of the people who shouldn't be here".
"Until we sort this out, we are going to keep seeing protests," the Tory leader added.
The number of people arriving in the UK in the first half of 2026 was down 41% on the year before, government figures show.
Badenoch says the drop has "got nothing to do with what Labour's done".
The Home Office has been contacted for a comment.
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