HOME Secretary Priti Patel has said she will “not be silenced” after being accused by a number of BAME Labour MPs of using her "heritage and experiences of racism" to "gaslight other minority communities"

Patel shared on Twitter the letter she was sent by shadow minister for community cohesion Naz Shah.

The letter contained a number of co-signatures from a number of BAME colleagues in the Labour Party.

The Home Secretary was criticised for saying in the Commons that she would “not take lectures” from opposition MPs when it came to racism.

Patel’s comments came in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests which started in the US before spreading to the UK after George Floyd was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

READ MORE: Scotland needs diversity after George Floyd case so no-one is left behind

The letter to Patel responds: "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."

Patel tweeted: “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.”