There was a “significant spike” in Islamophobic incidents after Boris Johnson compared women in burkhas to “letterboxes” in his Daily Telegraph column, according to an anti-racism organisation.

Tell Mama said there was a near four-fold increase (375 per cent) in anti-Muslim incidents in the week following Johnson’s comments when compared with the week before.

In the Telegraph article, published in August 2018, the then backbench MP said full-face veils should not be banned, but it was “absolutely ridiculous” women chose to “go around looking like letterboxes”.