Former Home Secretary Jack Straw has been accused of racial stereotyping after suggesting Pakistani men prey on white girls because they are seen as "easy meat".

Straw suggested young Pakistanis deliberately look for white girls and urged the Pakistani community to be "more open" about the issue. The Blackburn Labour MP said: "Pakistanis, let's be clear, are not the only people who commit sexual offences, and overwhelmingly the sex offenders wings of prisons are full of white sex offenders. But there is a specific problem which involves Pakistani-heritage men ... who target vulnerable young white girls.

"We need to get the Pakistani community to think much more clearly about why this is going on and to be more open about the problems that are leading to a number of Pakistani-heritage men thinking it is okay to target white girls in this way."

He claimed there is a "specific problem" after two Asians were jailed for targeting vulnerable teenagers. The issue of Pakistani men in the north of England allegedly grooming underage girls for sex also dominated headlines throughout the week.

Abid Saddique and Mohammed Liaqat led a gang who brought a "reign of terror" to Derby as they groomed young girls for sexual abuse. Saddique, 27, was jailed for at least 11 years and Liaqat, 28, for at least eight at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday. The pair – who are both married fathers – cruised Derby's streets for victims.

Muslim groups condemned the suggestion of a problem as "deeply offensive" and another senior Labour MP cautioned against stereotyping.

Keith Vaz MP, chairman of the home affairs select committee, said it was wrong to "stereotype an entire community" and that a proper inquiry is needed.