Ukip leader Paul Nuttall says his face coverings ban includes balaclavas but admits 'I've never seen anyone wear one'

Ukip’s leader has insisted all face masks should be banned, despite admitting he had “never seen” anyone wearing a balaclava.

But Paul Nuttall promised carnival masks but would be given “special dispensation” under the anti-immigration party’s controversial proposal to prohibit people from covering their faces.

Ukip’s manifesto pledges to ban the niqab and the burqa in public places, but makes no mention of other facial coverings.

Asked on ITV’s Peston on Sunday why the policy singled out Islamic clothing, Mr Nuttall insisted: “What we’re talking about is banning face coverings so whether that’s the niqab or the burqa or indeed an EDL march or something like that.

“You’ve got to be prepared to show your face because there’s security reasons here.

“There’s more CCTV in this country per head than anywhere else on the planet and for CCTV to be effective you need to see people’s faces.”

Presenter Robert Peston said: “Then surely you should be banned from wearing any kind of a mask in public whatever your ethnicity or background, so why aren’t you saying all masks should be banned?”

The Ukip leader replied: “I have, I’ve just said it now. I would ban face coverings in public, just as they’ve done in France, just as they’ve done in Bulgaria.”

Asks if people should banned from wearing masks at carnivals or balaclavas in cold weather, he added: “There’s special dispensations for carnivals and things like that.

“How many people have you seen wearing a balaclava on British streets in the winter. I’ve never seen it in my life.”

Ukip’s manifesto claims niqabs and burqas are “barriers to integration” and “dehumanising symbols of segregation”, adding they pose a security risk.

But it also suggests face coverings pose a health risk by limiting “intake of essential vitamin D from sunlight”.

Mr Nuttall denied the suggestion his party was using “spurious health grounds” to target Muslims. He added: “There’s a myriad of medical research that suggests if you don’t show your face to the sun you will get vitamin D deficiency.”

Ukip has previously been forced to offer assurance that beekeepers would be exempt from any ban, with the party’s deputy leader confirming the policy was mainly targeted at the burqa.