MPs have been urged to launch an inquiry into the placement of foster children after a white Christian girl was reportedly put into the care of a non-English speaking Muslim family.

The child, aged five, who speaks English as her first language, has been looked after by two different Muslim households in the past six months.

The girl was reportedly told to remove her Christian crucifix necklace and was not allowed to eat carbonara because it contained bacon.

She was allegedly encouraged to learn Arabic in one household and was begging not to go back there because "they don't speak English", according to a confidential report from the local authority seen by the Times newspaper.

She is also said to have told her mother since the placement in Tower Hamlets, London, that "Christmas is stupid".

Neil Carmichael, the former Tory chairman of the Education Select Committee, was leading an inquiry into fostering but the work was cut short by the general election.

Mr Carmichael, who lost his seat on June 8, said the committee should restart the work and examine how children are placed with foster carers because of the issues raised by the case.

He said: “That is not the sort of thing that we want to be seeing happening I would have thought.