The Foreign Secretary made the remarks after Sir Sajid Javid, the then home secretary, welcomed the sentencing of 20 Asian paedophiles in 2018.
The men, who came from the Huddersfield area and were mainly of Pakistani heritage, were convicted of a catalogue of rape and abuse against girls as young as 11.
At least one of the gang’s victims went on to attempt suicide, while another had an abortion and two of the victims had learning disabilities.
After the series of trials concluded on Oct 19 2018, Sir Sajid said: “These sick Asian paedophiles are finally facing justice. I want to commend the bravery of the victims.
“For too long, they were ignored. Not on my watch. There will be no no-go areas.”
But he faced a backlash from politicians and campaigners, including Mr Lammy, who was a backbench Labour MP at the time.
Mr Lammy told The Guardian: “Sajid Javid has brought a great office of state into disrepute. By singling out ‘Asians’ he not only panders to the far-Right but increases the risk of violence and abuse against minorities across the country.”
A week later, Sir Sajid – who was born to a British Pakistani family – said he was “angry” how Pakistani members of grooming had “disgraced our heritage”.
He also ordered the Home Office to conduct
research into why men convicted of grooming offences were
disproportionately of Pakistani origin, saying there “must be some
cultural connection”...<<<Read More>>>...
