HOME Secretary Priti Patel said she was “sad” after receiving a letter from Labour MPs accusing her of using her “heritage and experiences of racism” to “gaslight other minority communities”.

The letter, sent by Bradford West MP Naz Shah, who is shadow minister for community cohesion, and which was co-signed by a number of Labour colleagues from ethnic minority groups, referred to comments made by Ms Patel in the Commons following the Black Lives Matter protests.

The letter read: “Our shared experiences allow us to feel the pain that communities feel, when they face racism, they allow us to show solidarity towards a common cause; they do not allow us to define, silence or impede on the feelings that other minority groups may face.”

“Being a person of colour does not automatically make you an authority on all forms of racism,” it added.

Sharing the letter on Twitter, Ms Patel wrote: “Sad to have just received this letter. I will not be silenced by @UKLabour MPs who continue to dismiss the contributions of those who don’t conform to their view of how ethnic minorities should behave.”