The first Muslim Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is visiting Paris on Thursday (25 August) amid a row over French mayors banning the burkini. The trip is part of Khan's 'London is open' campaign in the wake of the EU referendum.

The top Labour politician will meet with the socialist Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, who visited London in May to discuss greater co-operation between counter-terror police between the two cities.

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The issue of tackling pollution is expected to come up between Khan and Hidalgo this time around, while the Mayor of London reportedly told BBC London "women should be able to wear what they want" on the matter of the burkini ban this morning.

The row intensified after pictures emerged of armed French police in Nice ordering a Muslim woman to remove some of her garments on a public beach.

Nicolas Sarkozy, the former French president, has also weighed into the debate after announcing his intention to run for the presidency again.

"We don't imprison women behind fabric," the right-winger said in a TV interview.

A protest is planned outside the French embassy in London this afternoon in the form of a "wear what you want beach party". More than 700 people have signed up to the group's Facebook page and organisers are arguing "women have the right to wear whatever they want".

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