SUELLA BRAVERMAN was accused of “borrowing from fascists and Nazis” today by singling out Pakistani men as being responsible for grooming girls for sexual abuse in Britain.

The Home Secretary has caused outrage after yet more inflammatory language when addressing the government's crackdown on grooming gangs.

She said a “predominance of certain ethnic groups – and I say British Pakistani males” saw women “in a demeaned and illegitimate way and pursue an outdated and frankly heinous approach in terms of the way they behave.”

But the singling out of a specific ethnic group flies in the face of previous Home Office-commissioned research, which found most group child sex offenders are men under the age of 30, and the majority are white.

And Ms Braverman’s comments were condemned by Labour, Stand Up to Racism (SUTR) and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).

Weyman Bennett of SUTR said: “Braverman’s statement comes straight out of the playbook of the British National Party, which was described as a Nazi organisation.

“It is an attempt to use racism to build up votes from the gutter.

“They seek to divide us in order to rule us. We should reject Braverman and Sunak’s playbook borrowed from fascists and Nazis.” 

Sabah Kaiser, the ethnic minority ambassador for the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse, warned it was “very, very dangerous for the government to turn child sexual abuse into a matter of colour.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also argued that “the vast majority of sexual abuse cases do not involve those of ethnic minorities.”

NSPCC chief executive Sir Peter Wanless said: “Perpetrators do not just come from one background.

“Sexual predators will target the most vulnerable and accessible children in society and there must be a focus on more than just race so we do not create new blind spots that prevent victims from being identified.”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Ms Braverman visited Rochdale in Greater Manchester and Leeds in West Yorkshire earlier today to launch a new task force that will see specialist officers assist local police forces to solve child sexual exploitation investigations.

Downing Street sought to emphasise that an “evidence-based” approach will be taken to tackle “all aspects” of the issue.