We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

Sign up fornow and never miss the top politics stories again.

The controversial presidential hopeful was in Lebanon seeking to bolster support ahead of the first round of voting in April.

But the proposed meeting with the Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul-Latif Derian - the most prominent Sunni Muslim cleric in the country - was scrapped at the last minute.

Ms Le Pen said: "You can pass on my respects to the Grand Mufti, but I will not cover myself up.

“I have met before with Grand Imam Sheikh al-Azhar in Egypt without wearing a veil."