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Downing Street has refused to condemn controversial past remarks on pregnancies, eugenics and race reportedly made by a new adviser.
Labour said Andrew Sabisky should be sacked for suggesting black people had lower average IQs than white people and compulsory contraception could prevent "creating a permanent underclass".
No 10 did not officially confirm his appointment or any role he may have.
The SNP and Liberal Democrats also said Mr Sabisky should go.
Mr Sabisky, appointed after the PM's chief adviser Dominic Cummings called for "misfits and weirdos" to apply for jobs in Downing Street, has been contacted by the BBC for comment.
When asked on Monday, Downing Street did not comment on the remarks attributed to Mr Sabisky.
Boris Johnson's spokesman added: "The prime minister's views on a range of subjects are well publicised and documented."
In response, Conservative MP Caroline Nokes tweeted: "Cannot believe No 10 has refused to comment on Andrew Sabisky. I don't know him from a bar of soap, but don't think we'd get on... must be no place in government for the views he's expressed."
In a comment on a 2014 blog post on Mr Cummings' website, made by a user called "Andrew Sabisky" that used the same picture as his Twitter page, it is suggested that compulsory contraception could be used to stop a "permanent underclass".
"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," says the post.
"Vaccination laws give it a precedent, I would argue."
In a comment on another blog post on a different website in 2014, what appears to be the same user suggested black Americans had a lower average IQ than white Americans.
In a comment on a different blog that same year, a user with his name said: "There are excellent reasons to think the very real racial differences in intelligence are significantly - even mostly - genetic in origin, though the degree is of course a very serious subject of scholarly debate."
Mr Sabisky also suggested to Schools Week in July 2016 that the benefits of a purported cognitive enhancer, which can prove fatal, are "probably worth a dead kid once a year".
"Eugenics are about selecting 'for' good things," he said in the same interview. "Intelligence is largely inherited and it correlates with better outcomes: physical health, income, lower mental illness.
And in a Twitter post from 2019, he said: "I am always straight up in saying that women's sport is more comparable to the Paralympics than it is to men's."
'National embarrassment'
Labour Party chairman Ian Lavery said: "It is disgusting that not only has Number 10 failed to condemn [these] appalling comments, but also seems to have endorsed the idea that white people are more intelligent than black people.
"Boris Johnson should have the backbone to make a statement in his own words on why he has made this appointment, whether he stands by it, and his own views on the subject of eugenics."
Labour's shadow Cabinet Office minister Jon Trickett said: "[Mr Sabisky] must of course be removed from this position immediately."
Acting Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey urged the prime minister to "put an end to the offence caused and sack Andrew Sabisky".
"This Conservative government is a national embarrassment," he said. "By giving Dominic Cummings such power and then failing to control him, Boris Johnson is revealing who really is in charge."
And Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the government must "demonstrate some basic but fundamental values", tweeting: "These are really not acceptable headlines for any government to be generating."
When asked about the remarks on Sky News, Environment Secretary George Eustice said it was a "matter for Dominic Cummings and Number 10".
On Sunday, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told the BBC: "I don't know the individual but they are particularly not views that I or the government shares in any way, shape or form."
‘Where there is harmony, may we bring discord. Where there is truth, may we bring error. Where there is faith, may we bring doubt. And where there is hope, may we bring despair’
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Misfits and Weirdos on 17:57 - Feb 17 with 320 views
Some of those comments by Andrew Sabisky are recorded and on the record.
I'd say anyone even thinking about eugenics is about as low as you can get.
‘Where there is harmony, may we bring discord. Where there is truth, may we bring error. Where there is faith, may we bring doubt. And where there is hope, may we bring despair’
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Misfits and Weirdos on 21:20 - Feb 17 with 266 views
Downing Street has said its adviser Andrew Sabisky has resigned, following criticism of reported past remarks on pregnancies, eugenics and race.
Labour had called for Mr Sabisky to be sacked for suggesting black people had lower average IQs than white people.
He is also alleged to have said compulsory contraception could prevent "creating a permanent underclass".
Mr Sabisky tweeted: "I wanted to help the government not be a distraction... accordingly I've decided to resign."
"I know this will disappoint a lot of people but I signed up to do real work, not be in the middle of a giant character assassination," it continued.
"If I can't do the work properly there's no point, and I have a lot of other things to do with my life."
Mr Sabisky had been appointed earlier this year after the prime minister's chief adviser Dominic Cummings called for "misfits and weirdos" to apply for jobs in Downing Street.
When asked earlier, Downing Street did not comment on the remarks attributed to Mr Sabisky.
Boris Johnson's spokesman said at the time: "The prime minister's views on a range of subjects are well publicised and documented."
Responding to news of the resignation, Labour Party chairman Ian Lavery said: "It's right that Andrew Sabisky is no longer working in government.
"After No 10 publicly stood by him today, Boris Johnson has serious questions to answer about how this appointment was made and whether he agrees with his vile views."
What is Mr Sabisky believed to have said?
In a comment on a 2014 blog post on Mr Cummings' website, made by a user called "Andrew Sabisky", it is suggested that compulsory contraception could be used to stop a "permanent underclass".
"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," says the post.
"Vaccination laws give it a precedent, I would argue."
In a comment on another blog post on a different website in 2014, what appears to be the same user suggested black Americans had a lower average IQ than white Americans.
In a comment on a different blog that same year, a user with his name said: "There are excellent reasons to think the very real racial differences in intelligence are significantly - even mostly - genetic in origin, though the degree is of course a very serious subject of scholarly debate."
Mr Sabisky also suggested to Schools Week in July 2016 that the benefits of a purported cognitive enhancer, which can prove fatal, are "probably worth a dead kid once a year".
"Eugenics are about selecting 'for' good things," he said in the same interview. "Intelligence is largely inherited and it correlates with better outcomes: physical health, income, lower mental illness.
And in a Twitter post from 2019, he said: "I am always straight up in saying that women's sport is more comparable to the Paralympics than it is to men's."
What was the reaction when the remarks were uncovered? Mr Sabisky's comments, and the government's reaction to the remarks, were criticised by opposition parties as well as members of the prime minister's own party.
Acting Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey had called the government "a national embarrassment".
While Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: "These are really not acceptable headlines for any government to be generating."
Tory MP William Wragg also attacked the government's decision to appoint him, tweeting: "Andrew Sabisky's presence in No 10 is a poor reflection on the government... 'Weirdos' and 'misfits' are all very well, but please can they not gratuitously cause offence."
‘Where there is harmony, may we bring discord. Where there is truth, may we bring error. Where there is faith, may we bring doubt. And where there is hope, may we bring despair’
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Misfits and Weirdos on 17:17 - Feb 18 with 239 views
I opened this thread thinking it would an entertaining excoriation of some members of our fan base. Hell, I was hoping for a mention in dispatches at the very least.
To find that it is about something as banal as No.10 recruitment is very, very disappointing. I have reported this to the moderation team and I expect - no, demand - vicarious satisfaction within hours.
"I expect - no, demand - vicarious satisfaction within hours."
Paging Ms Ann Widdecombe, customer 27 is now waiting.....
‘Where there is harmony, may we bring discord. Where there is truth, may we bring error. Where there is faith, may we bring doubt. And where there is hope, may we bring despair’
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Misfits and Weirdos on 11:24 - Feb 27 with 140 views
Walked past our house last week on his way to John O` Groats.
Saw him on tv recently and mrs spudgun chirped up with "Oh! There`s that fella that walked down our lane last week!"
When I asked her why she had took over a week to inform me of this interesting occurrence, she said "I thought he was just another weirdo hiking, and thought nothing of it at the time!"
This was a man in the middle of winter wearing only a pair of Everton FC speedos, a bobble hat and a rucksack!
Every credit to him though - he has raised something like £350,000; shame I missed him...
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Misfits and Weirdos on 17:15 - Feb 27 with 134 views
Just get your land fitted out with heat sensitive cameras, some watch towers and sniper's nests. Add in some strategically placed anti personal mines and you should never miss another rambler again.ðŸ‘
PS - Agree, every credit to him.
[Post edited 27 Feb 2020 20:38]
‘Where there is harmony, may we bring discord. Where there is truth, may we bring error. Where there is faith, may we bring doubt. And where there is hope, may we bring despair’
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Misfits and Weirdos on 20:43 - Feb 27 with 118 views
Talking of "Misfits and Weirdos" found the Ex Chancellor's speech rather stunning....
Sajid Javid: Plan to remove advisers not in 'national interest'
Sajid Javid has said his resignation as Chancellor was necessary to uphold the "national interest" and sensible "checks and balances" in government.
He quit the cabinet in the prime minister's reshuffle after a row over merging his team with No 10's advisers.
In a personal statement in the Commons explaining his decision, he defended the Treasury's independence and said it must be able to "speak truth to power".
No 10 said having joint advisers would help government work "effectively".
During his speech, Mr Javid warned the government not to abandon its fiscal discipline.
He offered his full support to Boris Johnson and his successor as chancellor, Rishi Sunak, who watched on as Mr Javid delivered a rare personal statement setting out the reasons for his surprise exit last month.
But in a warning to the PM, he said Mr Sunak - who will deliver the Budget in two weeks' time - should be given the "space to do his job without fear or favour".
Mr Javid stood down after just over six months in the Treasury.
He had been told by the PM that he would have to share his team of personal advisers with No 10 and that some of his existing staff would be let go as part of plans to create single unit.
Speaking in the Commons, he said it has "always been the case" that ministers appointed their own advisers, and he saw no reason why the Treasury "should be the exception to that".
The convention that "advisers advise, ministers decide and ministers decide on their advisers" remained a sound one, he told MPs.
He said he felt the order to fire his aides would "significantly inhibit" the flow of good advice and would not have been in the national interest as "no particular person" has a "monopoly of the best ideas".
He said mutual trust and creative tension between institutions were vital to the proper functioning of government.
"It is through these checks and balances of credible institutions, be it the Treasury, the Bank of England, the Office for Budget Responsibility and this House, that we arrive in sensible decisions that are in the national interest," he said.
"A chancellor, like all cabinet ministers, has to be able to give candid advice to a prime minister so he is speaking truth to power. I believe that the arrangement proposed would significantly inhibit that and it would not have been in the national interest."
He also made a joke at the expense of the PM's chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, who was widely seen as behind the plan to clip the Treasury's wings. He told MPs he did not want to go into the "Cummings and goings" of the row that led to his departure.
While the "tenacious and energetic" prime minister had a once in a generation opportunity to renew and transform the country, he said the government must live within its means.
As a "low-tax Conservative", he said he was worried that the overall tax burden was already at its highest in many years.
Amid warnings from a leading economic think tank, the IFS, that the new chancellor must raise taxes in his first Budget or break the government's rules on borrowing, he said "not everyone at the centre of government" feels the same pressure to balance the books and the Treasury had a responsibility to keep spending and the national debt "under control".
"Trade-offs need to be made somewhere. When we need to do much more to level up across generations, it would not be right to pass the bill for our day-to-day consumption to our children and grandchildren.
Responding immediately to Mr Javid's comments, the PM praised Mr Javid's "immense service" to the country and said he had "friends and admirers" across the House.
Later, a Downing Street spokesman defended the decision to merge advisors, saying: "The new unit will ensure that the government works more effectively to deliver the prime minister and chancellor's shared ambition to level up the economy across the UK."
The PM's official spokesman would not confirm whether the government would stick to Mr Javid's fiscal rules, adding: "As set out in the [Conservative election] manifesto, we will continue to have a clear fiscal framework."
"The detail of that is for the chancellor to confirm at the budget."
‘Where there is harmony, may we bring discord. Where there is truth, may we bring error. Where there is faith, may we bring doubt. And where there is hope, may we bring despair’
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Misfits and Weirdos on 21:57 - Mar 2 with 103 views
Priti Patel staff member received £25k payout over bullying allegations
A former aide to Priti Patel received a £25,000 payout from the government after claiming she was bullied by the then employment minister.
Legal correspondence seen by the BBC alleges the woman took an overdose of prescription medicine following the alleged incident in 2015.
The DWP did not admit liability and the case did not come before a tribunal.
Ms Patel is facing allegations - which she denies - that she mistreated staff in her new role as home secretary.
Sir Philip Rutnam, the Home Office's most senior official, resigned on Saturday alleging Ms Patel's conduct towards staff included "swearing, belittling people, making unreasonable and repeated demands".
He said he now intended to take legal action against the Home Office on the basis of constructive dismissal, alleging that he had been forced out of his job.
'Unprovoked aggression' Legal correspondence seen by the BBC show a junior employee at the DWP brought a formal complaint of bullying and harassment against the department, including Ms Patel, after being dismissed from her role in October 2015.
The staff member's grievance letter alleges she had previously attempted to kill herself after reporting similar allegations of workplace bullying concerning another individual in 2014, before Ms Patel was a minister.
The staff member also alleges she was told the decision to dismiss her a year later was not made on performance grounds but because Ms Patel did not "like [her] face", according to comments attributed to her line manager and a colleague.
On that day in October 2015, Ms Patel had shouted at the woman in her private office and told her to "get lost" and "get out of her face", the correspondence alleges.
Ms Patel is described as having acted "without warning" and with an "unprovoked level of aggression", in the woman's formal grievance complaint.
Shortly after, the staff member allegedly took an overdose of prescription medication in the office and lay with her head on the desk for some time.
She was then said to have become unresponsive and her partner was called by a colleague to collect her as she was unable to walk unaided.
The woman then took a further overdose at home in what is described as an attempt to kill herself and was rushed to hospital where she spent the night in resuscitation, according to the documents.
A settlement was reached in 2017 for £25,000 after the member of staff threatened to bring a legal claim of bullying, harassment and discrimination on the grounds of race and disability against the department, including Ms Patel who is directly named.
When asked last week about a complaint against Ms Patel during her time at the DWP, a source close to her said she was "unaware of any complaint being made".
Prime Minister Boris Johnson backed Priti Patel following Sir Philip's allegations, saying she was "a fantastic home secretary".
Labour leadership contender Keir Starmer tweeted that Ms Patel was facing "incredibly serious allegations" and he said he welcomed the inquiry into her conduct.
But he said: "We need assurances that this inquiry will cover Priti Patel's entire career as a minister."
'Independent inquiry' Earlier, Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove told MPs Ms Patel "absolutely rejects these allegations".
But he said the prime minister had asked the Cabinet Office to carry out an investigation into whether she had breached the ministerial code and "to establish the facts".
Labour MP Hilary Benn asked Mr Gove if any complaints had been made about Ms Patel's conduct at the DWP, or in her former role as international development secretary.
Mr Gove said: "The inquiry that is proceeding will look at all complaints that may have been made, I cannot say more than that."
A spokesperson for the government said "All ministers are subject to the ministerial code. We do not comment on individual personnel matters."
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, speaking before the latest allegations, called on Ms Patel to be sacked if Sir Philip's allegations were true.
He backed calls by the the FDA union, which represents senior civil servants, for an "independent" inquiry into Ms Patel's behaviour, saying he was concerned an internal investigation would lack "objectivity".
Asked by Labour's Yvette Cooper how many complaints had been made against Ms Patel, Mr Gove said it would be "improper" to comment on an "individual personnel case".
‘Where there is harmony, may we bring discord. Where there is truth, may we bring error. Where there is faith, may we bring doubt. And where there is hope, may we bring despair’
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