Suella Braverman has been labelled a “Trump tribute act” following her divisive rhetoric on child sexual exploitation.
The home secretary pointed to a “predominance of certain ethnic groups – and I say British Pakistani males – who hold cultural values totally at odds with British values, who see women in a demeaned and illegitimate way and pursue an outdated and frankly heinous approach in terms of the way they behave” in a speech.
She also claimed that victims and whistle-blowers were ignored “due to cultural sensitivity and political correctness’’, a claim challenged in many reports including the Operation Linden Report, published in June 2022.
Writing in response to the comments, a number of health organisations have criticised the home secretary’s rhetoric in the strongest possible terms.
An open letter reads:
“It is unacceptable for the Home Secretary to use inflammatory and divisive rhetoric that is sensationalist and contradicts her own department’s evidence.
“Critically, it enables these heinous crimes to continue by focusing on political exhibitionism instead of implementing impactful action that is evidence-based and requires a whole system response rather than singling out one particular ethnic group.”
Speaking to James O’Brien on LBC, Tory peer Baroness Sayeeda Warsi also condemned the remarks.
Here’s what she had to say:
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