Racists must not be allowed to enter No 10, minister says, after aide forced to quit over comments

'We should prevent racists from coming into No10...I think we do need to look at these processes'

A minister has demanded curbs on Dominic Cummings’ power to recruit No 10 staff as he attacked the “racist” views of an adviser forced to resign.

Kwasi Kwarteng broke with Boris Johnson – who had refused to condemn Andrew Sabisky – by branding his past comments “racist”, “offensive” and “reprehensible”.

The business minister also called for an overhaul of recruitment – after Mr Sabisky answered Mr Cummings’ notorious call to sign up “misfits and weirdos”.

“I think we should prevent racists from coming into No10 or wherever he was working. I think we do need to look at these processes,” he said.

On Mr Sabisky's past writings, Mr Kwarteng said: "It was completely reprehensible – they were racist remarks.”

The outspoken attack is in stark contrast to Monday’s extraordinary No 10 briefing, in which the prime minister’s spokesman repeatedly refused to criticise Mr Sabisky.

It appeared Mr Johnson and Mr Sabisky were trying to ride out the controversy – until the “contractor” walked out later, blaming a “giant character assassination”.

In 2014, Mr Sabisky argued a higher rate of black Americans suffered from “intellectual disability” saying: “It [is] simply a consequence of the normal distribution of cognitive ability.”

He also wrote on Mr Cummings' website “One way to get around the problems of unplanned pregnancies creating a permanent underclass would be to legally enforce universal uptake of long-term contraception at the onset of puberty.

Earlier, it had been revealed that Mr Sabisky tweeted: “I am always straight up in saying that women's sport is more comparable to the Paralympics than it is to men's.”

Calling himself a “super-forecaster”, he also said richer people are more intelligent, telling an interviewer: “Eugenics are about selecting 'for' good things.”

Downing Street, as well as standing by the 27-year-old, also refused to say what vetting took place before his recruitment, or on what projects he was working.

When Mr Cummings set out his staffing objectives in January, he was warned they were probably illegal and would “destabilise” Whitehall and accused of “hubris”.

Speaking on Sky News, Mr Kwarteng also said: “There’s no way you could apologise for some of the remarks that he has made.”

On BBC Radio 5 Live, he called for new “processes”, while also claiming Mr Sabisky had been “quickly pushed out” – although No 10 had attempted to stand by him.

Caroline Nokes, the Conservative chairwoman of the Commons women and equalities committee, criticised the “silence” from No 10.

“It does seem that when the call went out for misfits and weirdos that was exactly what Downing Street got,” she said.

“Unfortunately, we had 48 hours of almost complete silence and no comment from Downing Street, who could have distanced themselves from his youthful comments at any point, but they chose not to do so.”