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Beekeepers have demanded Ukip clarify their policy on banning face coverings, after leader Paul Nuttall’s chaotic election campaign launch.

Deputy party leader Peter Whittle said the burka was ‘a potent symbol of female oppression’, and wearing full face veils would be banned if Ukip were in charge.

Yet the policy's scope could be huge - as it was described by UKIP as "a total ban on face coverings in a public place."

Mr Whittle added: "Face coverings ar­e a deliberate barrie­r to integration and,­ in many contexts, a ­security risk too. Th­e time has come to ou­tlaw them."

The British Beekeepers Association expressed concern about the policy, saying it would need a clear exemption for their members.

Martin Smith, Public Affairs Director for the Association, said: “I think in practical terms any such policy would have to have a series of exemptions for people who used 'Burqa type' clothing for their work.

(Image: Rex Features) (Image: Rex Features)

“This would include beekeepers and others using personal protective equipment for their work or indeed leisure activities.”

He said there were occasions where beekeepers wear their veils in public places - such as when collecting swarms.

He added: “We would need a clear exemption to allow us to continue to perform this valuable public service.”

(Image: AFP)

During the party’s campaign launch this morning, Whittle was brutally mocked over the policy.

Asked if beekeepers would be affected by the ban, Whittle branded the question “ridiculous.”

He also said it wouldn’t apply to people wearing big hats.

Leader Paul Nuttall refused to answer questions on whether he will stand in the election after his dismal result in the Stoke by-election - eventually barricading himself in a room to avoid questions from the Press.

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He hid in a room in the Marriott County Hall hotel while journalists repeatedly asked him whether he wanted to be an MP.