UK Government 'don't want Muslims in central London': Karen Buck

London, Mar.17 (ANI): Karen Buck, Shadow Work and Pensions Minister of UK, has said that government "don't want Muslims living in central London" and also that ministers are "deeply hostile" to poor people having children.

Buck's comments came during public meeting in Islington. She said planned cuts to housing benefit are politically motivated to force poor, ethnic minority and Muslim families out of the centre of London.

According to The Independent, Buck said that government doesn't want black women, ethnic minority women and Muslim women living in central London.

"They just don't. They want people to be moving out of anywhere that is a more prosperous area into the fringes of London and into places like Barking and Newham. I have nothing against Barking and Newham. The problem is they are already full of people who are quite poor," she said.

Buck also accused the ministers of thinking families who earn less than 40,000 pounds a year should not have children.

She said. "When you listen to the Tories speaking in Parliament, there is an arrogance and an ignorance that I have never known in my 13 years in Parliament: basically, thinking that anyone whose income is below the top rate of tax shouldn't have children."

In response to her statement, Conservative Party Chairman Baroness Warsi said the remarks were "deeply offensive" and asked Labour Party leader Edward Miliband to remove her from Labour's frontbench.

Warsi said the remarks provided clear evidence that "Reactionary politics is alive and well in the Labour party", "For Karen Buck to use race, religion and class for political point-scoring is deeply offensive and irresponsible."

However, Buck said she stood by her remarks and added: "I am very, very concerned about the impact of these cuts on black, Muslim and ethnic minority households, in particular."

"In the passion of a political meeting I was wrong to imply motive on behalf of Government ministers. I can't say what their intention and motives are. I can only say my concern is about the impact that these cuts will have," she added. (ANI)