As WYSIWYG said "a person might choose to make Mr. Straw's life a bit easier and remove the veil." It seems to me that, unless there was some overweening religious or ethical requirement not to do so, that is what good manners would indicate.

But I don't know where that assumption that he was "requiring" them to do so comes from.

This has been repeatedly stated by Jack Straw, that what was involved was a request and not a demand. And even in this thread that has been emphasised by quite a number of people. And I don't think anyone has come up with any evidence to suggest that Jack Straw was lying about tat, or that the rest of us have been misled.

There are people who have used this as an opportunity to attack the whole idea that women should have the right to wear veils if they choose to, and I think that is way over the top. If someone going about daily life chooses to wear something that makes them feel more private, such as a veil, that is perfectly reasonable. I'd rather like to have that option myself sometimes - and if they ever made a law against it I'd probably start doing it.

But that is a bit different from entering into a situation where communication is centrally involved, such as an interview or conversation, and doing something that interferes with communucation. Asking a lady to put aside her veil in those circumstances is really no different from asking someone to raise their voice rather than whispering. Not a requirement, a perfectly reasonable request, which the other party has every right to decline to comply with. Good manners are not obligatory.