BORIS Johnson is to facing a disciplinary hearing by the Conservative party after saying Muslim women wearing face veils looked like “bank robbers” and “letter boxes”
The former Foreign Secretary is accused of breaking the party’s code of conduct.
The leading Brexiter has refused to back down over the comments, which he made in a newspaper column on Monday about banning the burka and niqab.
He was been widely criticised by ministers and urged to apologise by Theresa May.
A Tory peer has also suggested the Uxbridge & South Ruislip MP should lose the Tory whip over his comments.
Allies of Mrs may, who fear Mr Johnson could destabilise her premiership as negotiations with the EU over Brexit intensify this autumn, would also like to use the row to end his ambition of becoming PM.
The BBC reported the party had received "dozens" of complaints about Mr Johnson which would be considered by an independent panel.
A Conservative Party spokesman said: "The code of conduct process is strictly confidential."
Party rules say formal complaints against Conservative representatives will be investigated "in a timely and confidential manner" by someone "with appropriate experience and no prior involvement in the complaint".
"The investigation should be thorough, impartial and objective, and carried out with sensitivity and due respect for the rights of all parties concerned," says the code of conduct.
Mr Johnson's column referred to Denmark's recent ban on face veils in public.
He said he did not support a ban, but mocked the veils.
Nicola Sturgeon said the remarks had been a calculated "dog whistle" attempt to appeal to the right, and was "Islamophobia".
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