A BOLTON MP has called on the government to reject a European ruling that allows employers to ban headscarves and other religious symbols.

Yasmin Qureshi criticised the European Court of Justice (ECJ) judgement in the House of Commons on Wednesday.

The Bolton South East MP said: “A person’s ability to do 99.9 per cent of jobs, including that of security guard, is not affected by whether they wear a skull cap, headscarf, turban, cross, mangalsutra or tilaka.

“Can this ECJ judgment be rejected in domestic law to prevent confusion among employers about its having any bearing on this country?”

Caroline Dinenage, the under-secretary of state for education, replied: “Employers do not need to change any legitimate policies on dress code in the workplace, but it is vital that employers and employees understand what the law allows them to do, and that is what this is about.

“We do not want any employers mistakenly thinking that this ruling gives them any authority to sack public-facing staff who wear headscarves or any other religious symbols.”