Straw blamed for 'racist' backlash - Independent

Straw blamed for 'racist' backlash By Marie Woolf, Francis Elliott and Lauren Veevers Jack Straw was last night looking increasingly isolated over his disclosure that he would prefer Muslim women not to wear the veil, as Cabinet colleagues publicly distanced themselves from his remarks. Ruth Kelly, the Communities Secretary, said she saw wearing the veil as a " personal choice" and would not ask a woman who sought her advice to remove it. Peter Hain, the Northern Ireland Secretary, who is expected ...