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The local chairwoman of the BarnetConservative party has been suspended after allegations she told a woman her headscarf was "offensive".

Sidrah Mohammed was allegedly accosted by Fiona Bulmer, who was had a long-serving career as a Barnet councillor but left the post after a failed bid to become leader of the council in 2010, at the Asda in Southgate.

Sidrah, who was wearing trousers, a raincoat and a "small pink headscarf", was with her two children, aged three and one, when she was approached by a group of Conservative supporters canvassing support ahead of the general election on Thursday (December 12).

The mum, who described herself as having no political affiliations, asked the canvassers about the widely reported racist and Islamophobic comments made by Prime Minister Boris Johnson over a number of years.

These include comparing Muslim women who wear the niqab to "letterboxes", wrote that Islamophobia was a "natural reaction" and their holy book, the Quran, was "intended to provoke".

He also said in the aftermath of the 7/7 bombings that "Islam is the problem", a statement many Muslims both condemned and found worrying.

As well as these comments, he wrote an article describing Africans as "piccaninnies" and said they had "watermelon smiles".

The issue is one commonly raised on the campaign trail by people from minority ethnic backgrounds, but former councillor Bulmer, said Boris had her support and that she found what the woman was wearing "offensive".

(Image: PA)

Sidrah, who wrote about the incident on Facebook, added: "When I tried to film her she darted off with the rest of her group, leaving a 20-something year old Tory member to speak to me.

"The Young Tory was getting really upset about the video and cried - I ended up hugging her and calming her down while her Tory colleagues left her.

"Make of that what you will. My first Islamophobic attack in my life was from a active Tory member.

"I'm part of no party. I'm just a British mum getting on with being an active and positive member of society. But apparently my wearing trousers, a rain coat and a small pink headscarf is offensive."

(Image: Chipping Barnet Conservatives)

Sidrah's post was shared on Facebook and WhatsApp, leading the local Conservative association to ask their chairwoman to step down.

"We apologise for what was said and for the offence caused," the Chipping Barnet Conservative Association posted on facebook.

"We recognise that those holding office in a political party must take the greatest care to avoid anything which might be viewed as derogatory to any faith or minority community.

"That is why we asked Fiona to stand down as chairman of our local party, with immediate effect, and she will take no further part in the general election.

"The Conservative Party, both nationally and locally here in Chipping Barnet, condemns prejudice and discrimination and will always promote the values of equality and mutual respect between people of different faith and ethnic backgrounds.

"This view is shared by our candidate, Theresa Villiers."

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Cabinet member Theresa Villers, who is the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was elected to the Chipping Barnet seat in 2017 with a majority of just 353 votes, just 0.6 per cent more votes than Labour rival Emma Whysall, who is standing against her against her again in one of the most marginal seats in the country.

Labour also condemned the words of Ms Bulmer, who was widely tipped to have become leader of Barnet Council after Mike Freer was promoted to become the MP for Finchley and Golders Green in 2010.

However after losing out on the top seat in the council, she stopped working as a councillor and became the chairwoman of the local party, which was a post she held for almost a decade.

As a senior councillor for Underhill, Bulmer had been the cabinet member for children's services from 2006 to 2009, and cabinet member for adult social services and housing from 2004 to 2006.

She had served as a non-executive director for Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals from 2010 to 2014, when the trust was absorbed into Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. She is listed as a governer at Barnet and Southgate College.

Islamophobia in the Tory party

The Conservatives have faced calls from within the party and from outsiders to carry out a specific inquiry into Islamopobia within their party, but have denied there is a specific issue within the party.

Instead they have promised to launch an inquiry into all forms of hate, with Boris Johnson and his chancellor Sajid Javid both denying the party has a problem with Islamophobia.

This is despite a dossier being released last month naming 25 councillors, former councillors and local party chair people who were responsible for Islamophobic posts on social media, including three from London .