The bill will face the Senate in September, with the more challenging hurdle of constitutional scrutiny following. If passed, it will make France the second European country, following Belgium, to make the wearing of the Muslim veil in public a criminal offence with a sanction of a fine of €150.

The ban has proved a highly controversial issue in France, which has an almost 10 per cent Muslim population. The Council of State, France’s highest legal advisory body which among other things advises the Government on the preparation of bills, has given a warning that a ban on face veils in all public places would be unconstitutional.