Kemi Badenoch backs face covering ban at protest

Conservative 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% from the previous year, government figures show.

Badenoch says the drop has “got nothing to do with what Labour’s done”.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “This government is bearing down on dangerous small boat crossings and restoring control at our border. Joint efforts have prevented over 48,000 crossing attempts and seized 1,100 boats and engines since the election.

“We are making progress, with the number of small boat crossings down this year and the lowest number recorded for the month of July since 2020.

“But we must go further, which is why we have signed a payment-by-results deal with the French to put 40% more boots on the ground on French beaches.”

The Home Office said French authorities had prevented 4,300 crossing attempts and stopped 185 small boat launches in the first three months of a new UK-France agreement.

It also pointed to National Crime Agency analysis that said enforcement action affecting the supply of boats and engines had been a key factor in reducing crossings during the first half of 2026.