Germany could impose a ban on women wearing burkas or full-face Islamic veils at schools and universities and while driving under new proposals announced on Friday by Angela Merkel’s party.

The burka “does not belong in our cosmopolitan country”, Thomas de Maiziere, the interior minister and one of Mrs Merkel’s closest allies, said as he announced the new policy.

“We all reject the full veil — not only the burka but also other types of full veil that only leave the eyes visible. They have no place in our society.”

The proposals stop short of the complete ban called for by senior figures in Mrs Merkel’s Christian Democrat party (CDU).

Instead what has been described as a “burka ban lite” will also apply to women working as public officials, attending public demonstrations, and in court.

“Showing your face is essential for our communication, co-existence and social cohesion and that's why we're asking everyone to show their faces,” Mr de Maiziere said.

“We want to introduce a law to make people show their faces and that means that those who break that law will have to face the consequences.”