Nigel Farage hit back at Wes Streeting after he warned against inflammatory language over grooming gangs.
The Health Secretary said that “irresponsible and coarse public discourse” could lead to violence against Muslims in general as he highlighted the 2019 New Zealand mosque attack.
But Reform leader Mr Farage said that Mr Streeting’s comments were “insulting”.
The Clacton MP told The Telegraph: “Honestly, if that is a crude attempt to stop us getting to the truth, I think it’s pretty insulting
“I am horrified that later on, on that front page, he says that it’s time we heard the voices of the victims. Yes, that’s what we want, an inquiry, because they’ve not had a voice.”
Pressure has mounted on the Prime Minister to launch a public inquiry into grooming gangs in recent weeks after US tech billionaire Elon Musk posted a barrage of attacks on him on X over the issue.
In an interview with The Guardian, Mr Streeting said: “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.”
Mr Streeting said he had “no difficulty or qualms” calling out the “sickening” crimes of grooming gangs and criticised “well meaning, but ultimately fundamentally misguided and warped views of political correctness” for letting down thousands of children.
But the Ilford North MP added: “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.”
The PM has so far resisted calls by the Tories and Reform UK for a new probe, saying the Government will focus on implementing the recommendations of a previous more general inquiry into child sex abuse.