Boris Johnson was accused of “pandering to the far right” after his comments about women wearing burkas

Boris Johnson is likely to reprimanded by Conservative headquarters on the eve of the Tory conference over his comparison of women wearing burkas to “letter boxes”.

The former foreign secretary wrote in the summer that he was against bans on face-covering veils in public places but that it was “ridiculous” people chose to wear them, prompting a backlash. The Muslim Council of Britain accused him of “pandering to the far right”.

Mr Johnson’s comments are being investigated by a panel at CCHQ to see if he broke the Tory code of conduct. A result is expected next week. Sources claimed that Mr Johnson was thought unlikely to receive a formal sanction but could receive a “ticking off”.

This could provoke an aggressive reaction from