BORIS JOHNSON’s inflammatory comments about the burka must be fully investigated by the Tories to demonstrate that no-one is “allowed to victimise minorities with impunity”, Muslim leaders told Theresa May today.

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) wrote to the Prime Minister demanding that the former foreign secretary face a full disciplinary inquiry for comparing Muslim women wearing face-covering veils to bank robbers and letter boxes.

In a letter seen by the Guardian newspaper, the MCB said that it was “of deep concern that some Conservative members of Parliament appear to be pressuring the chair of the party to dismiss the complaints made.”

They added that the disciplinary process, which was automatically triggered following complaints about his remarks, “must be followed and no exception made for Mr Johnson.”

The MCB accused Mr Johnson of deploying “memes used previously by the far right” and said his comments “appear to have spurred on anti-Muslim bigots.”

Dismissing the complaints would “send a clear message that the party does not treat Islamophobia with the seriousness it deserves and would be an indictment of the party’s ability to take Islamophobia seriously,” the letter concluded.

The pressure on the Tories continued to mount as Tell Mama, an organisation which monitors incidents of anti-Muslim hate, revealed an increase in abuse directed at women wearing niqabs and hijabs since Mr Johnson’s column containing the comments appeared in the Daily Telegraph last Monday.

Tell Mama founder Fiyaz Mughal told the Guardian: “Johnson thinks his flippant comments were funny, and while his comments were about the burka, the fact is that visible Muslim women are also impacted by these comments.

“Perpetrators don’t sit around thinking: ‘Oh, there is a burka-clad woman and I will only vent my anger to her.’ They see a visibly identifiable woman and off they go with their bigotry and prejudice.”

Labour’s shadow minister for women and equalities Naz Shah also called on the Tories to take decisive action, saying “Boris Johnson’s divisive comments risk driving more attacks against Muslims.

“Theresa May needs to urgently get a grip on Islamophobia in the Conservative Party before the situation gets completely out of hand.”