A Conservative MP has been reported to the police by a race equality watchdog after he compared the burka to a paper bag.

Philip Hollobone, the MP for Kettering, accused Northamptonshire race equality council of "outrageous" behaviour after it reported his comments, which were covered by parliamentary privilege because he made them in a parliamentary debate.

In a Westminster Hall discussion on immigration on 2 February he told MPs: "I have huge sympathy with those who want action taken against people who want to cover themselves up in public. How ridiculous would the House of Commons be if we were all to wear burkas? How would Mr Speaker be able to identify which member to call next?

"It is the religious equivalent of going around with a paper bag over your head with two holes for the eyes. It is offensive to want to cut yourself off from face-to-face contact with other members of the human race."

He said his local race equality watchdog wanted him prosecuted for inciting religious hatred. The Crown Prosecution Service had decided against action.

"I refused to be silenced by threats of prosecution and I am going to speak out on what is a perfectly legitimate topic for debate," he said. "There will be those who agree and those who disagree and that is fine. What we cannot have are MPs being threatened when they speak out on contentious issues.

"The judgment of the Northamptonshire race equality council is quite wrong in speaking to police as they haven't tried to engage in any debate."

In the parliamentary debate Hollobone said Britain was facing a "tragic situation" because of immigration. He said it was a matter of "space not race".

"Because we now have a large number of white immigrants in this country, suddenly it is OK to talk about immigration once again. The problem is the scale of the immigration – the number of people heading our way – and it is going to overwhelm our indigenous culture in ways that are frankly unacceptable."

Do these idiots not realise he cannot be prosecuted or censured in any way? He's covered by Parliamentary privilege - only the Speaker can intervene.

There's no doubt he could have been more tactful, but he makes some good points...

He said it was a matter of "space not race".

Only if he says it in the House of Commons. If he says it outside the House then he can be prosecuted like any other.

But he did say it in the House of Commons, hence my comment!

Quite. "The Crown Prosecution Service had decided against action."
They should send the people who complained a bill for their time. Why should we have to pay because they're patently thicker than a castle wall?