David Cameron's integration tsar has blasted 'hand-wringing' liberals for failing to tackle forced marriage and other abuses in Muslim communities.

Louise Casey said some officials were 'so wrapped up in political correctness' they ignored shameful scandals which led to vulnerable women and children being harmed.

Miss Casey, who chaired the Government's troubled families unit and led an investigation into social services in Rotherham – where Asian sex gangs had abused as many as 1,600 children – is carrying out a review of how to boost integration in the most isolated communities.

Louise Casey said some British officials were 'so wrapped up in political correctness' they ignored shameful scandals which led to vulnerable women and children being harmed across the country

Commissioned by the Prime Minister, this is looking at how to help migrants learn English, as well as other ways of boosting women's job prospects.

But Miss Casey claimed one issue was that the liberal elite had turned a blind eye to problems within some Muslim groups.

Speaking to the Policy Exchange think-tank in London last night, she said: 'We let forced marriage happen because we were so wrapped up in political correctness and wanting our multicultural Britain. We forgot to talk about equality and we forgot to talk about equal rights.

'We forgot that a girl of the age of eight is being promised to someone. That is not a Muslim issue, that is an equality issue.'

David Cameron's integration tsar has blasted 'hand-wringing' liberals for failing to tackle forced marriage and other abuses in Muslim communities (file image)

Miss Casey said more effort had been expended on 'Tipp-Exing out the word 'Pakistani' on folders in Rotherham' than addressing the root causes of the problems.

She added: 'This is not just about a particular community not wanting to integrate. It is about those people on the outside who have been hand-wringing.'

She said her report into the failure of some sections of society to integrate, due to be published in March, would criticise those liberals 'with some force'.

Her comments will be a blow to those public figures – particularly under New Labour – who championed multiculturalism, the Left-wing doctrine which encourages migrants to keep their own traditions rather than integrate into British ways.

In a keynote speech last July, Mr Cameron made clear that failures of integration had allowed extremist ideas to gain traction – resulting in around 700 British Muslims travelling to Syria to join Islamic State. Counter-terror police say about half are thought to have returned and could pose a threat.

A Whitehall source said Miss Casey was useful to ministers as she could deliver 'hard truths' to the Muslim community that they could not. She rose to prominence as Tony Blair's anti-social behaviour tsar.