Wes Streeting has issued a warning that language over grooming gangs risks vilifying entire communities and could lead to people committing acts of terror.
The Health Secretary cited the 2019 mosque terrorist massacre in Christchurch, New Zealand that killed 51 people.
One of the gunmen had "For Rotherham" written on ammunition, in an apparent reference to child grooming gangs in the Yorkshire town.
In an interview with The Guardian, Streeting criticised "well-meaning, but ultimately fundamentally misguided and warped views of political correctness" for letting down thousands of children.
Streeting, who held onto his seat by just 528 votes against pro-Gaza independent candidate Leanne Mohamad, said: "At the same time, there are people in my community who have either Pakistani heritage or look different, who are now more fearful today than they were before.
"Victims’ voices have been completely marginalised, and I think that’s a disgrace.
"If Kemi Badenoch is in any doubt whatsoever about where irresponsible and coarse public discourse can lead on this issue, look on the other side of the world, in Christchurch, New Zealand, where someone walked into a mosque and killed innocent Muslims stone cold dead with a gun whose magazine had inscribed on it ‘for Rotherham’.
"We have to be extremely clear about the failings, the nature of it, and not allow political correctness, fear of stating the truth as it is to fail victims, as has happened before. We must also make sure that entire communities are not tarred with the same brush."
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Streeting has been on the receiving end of both praise for his 'political courage' over his NHS reform policy but also criticism over his stance on transgender rights after he committed to the ban of the use of puberty blockers, as well as the party's policy over Israel's ongoing war in Gaza.
He said: "What we have a responsibility to do is deliver real change that people voted for, because what we have seen across liberal democracies is a failure to tackle deep inequalities in society.
"A failure to deliver change that improves people’s life chances, opportunities and security leads people to the siren voices of the populists calling them to the rocks – and populism offers false hope.
"It is [our] responsibility to deliver, so we match hope with real change."
Streeting has been tipped as a possible future of the Labour Party, however, he remained steadfast in his support for Sir Keir Starmer.
He told The Guardian: "[Starmer] is constantly underestimated, but his superpower is that he does not get blown off course by events. He doesn’t have a thin skin on criticism. He doesn’t do politics as performance and he doesn’t believe in Government by gimmick.
"Of course unpopular decisions are unpopular. He’s taking unpopular decisions because he thinks they’re the right decisions for the country. If we change Britain for the better, people will thank him for it.
"If he ducks those difficult decisions, tries to crowd please, like some of his predecessors, we will wonder how this country continued on a doom spiral and the populists took over."
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The Health Secretary cited the 2019 mosque terrorist massacre in Christchurch, New Zealand that killed 51 people.
One of the gunmen had "For Rotherham" written on ammunition, in an apparent reference to child grooming gangs in the Yorkshire town.
In an interview with The Guardian, Streeting criticised "well-meaning, but ultimately fundamentally misguided and warped views of political correctness" for letting down thousands of children.
Streeting, who held onto his seat by just 528 votes against pro-Gaza independent candidate Leanne Mohamad, said: "At the same time, there are people in my community who have either Pakistani heritage or look different, who are now more fearful today than they were before.
"Victims’ voices have been completely marginalised, and I think that’s a disgrace.
"If Kemi Badenoch is in any doubt whatsoever about where irresponsible and coarse public discourse can lead on this issue, look on the other side of the world, in Christchurch, New Zealand, where someone walked into a mosque and killed innocent Muslims stone cold dead with a gun whose magazine had inscribed on it ‘for Rotherham’.
"We have to be extremely clear about the failings, the nature of it, and not allow political correctness, fear of stating the truth as it is to fail victims, as has happened before. We must also make sure that entire communities are not tarred with the same brush."
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Streeting has been on the receiving end of both praise for his 'political courage' over his NHS reform policy but also criticism over his stance on transgender rights after he committed to the ban of the use of puberty blockers, as well as the party's policy over Israel's ongoing war in Gaza.
He said: "What we have a responsibility to do is deliver real change that people voted for, because what we have seen across liberal democracies is a failure to tackle deep inequalities in society.
"A failure to deliver change that improves people’s life chances, opportunities and security leads people to the siren voices of the populists calling them to the rocks – and populism offers false hope.
"It is [our] responsibility to deliver, so we match hope with real change."
Streeting has been tipped as a possible future of the Labour Party, however, he remained steadfast in his support for Sir Keir Starmer.
He told The Guardian: "[Starmer] is constantly underestimated, but his superpower is that he does not get blown off course by events. He doesn’t have a thin skin on criticism. He doesn’t do politics as performance and he doesn’t believe in Government by gimmick.
"Of course unpopular decisions are unpopular. He’s taking unpopular decisions because he thinks they’re the right decisions for the country. If we change Britain for the better, people will thank him for it.
"If he ducks those difficult decisions, tries to crowd please, like some of his predecessors, we will wonder how this country continued on a doom spiral and the populists took over."
Find Out More...