Priti Patel has insisted Boris Johnson is “absolutely not a racist”, after rapper Dave used his performance at the Brits to brand the prime minister a “real racist”.

The home secretary said the accusation was “very much a generalisation”.

Patel told BBC Breakfast on Wednesday morning: “I know the prime minister. I’ve worked with the prime minister for a long time, for many years. He’s absolutely not a racist.

“I don’t know how much [Dave] knows about the prime minister and whether he actually has met the prime minister or knows the prime minister.

“I work with the prime minister, I know Boris Johnson very well, no way is he a racist, so I think that is a completely wrong comment and it’s the wrong assertion to make against our prime minister.”

But Diane Abbott, the shadow home secretary, told the BBC Dave’s words “clearly resonated with people”.

“I think Boris has a lot to do to convince the community that he’s not unduly negative about Black people and Muslim people,” she said.

Dave performed his song Black at the ceremony at the O2 Arena in London on Tuesday evening and added new verses at the end.

“It is racist whether or not it feels racist/ The truth is our prime minister’s a real racist,” he said.

The British artist also said: “Grenfell victims still need accommodation and we still need support for the Windrush generation.”

And he paid tribute to London Bridge attack victim Jack Merritt. “There’s tears in our eyes and love in our hearts,” he said.

Johnson infamously used a 2002 column in The Daily Telegraph to refer to “watermelon smiles” and “piccaninnies”. 

Earlier this week Downing Street aide Andrew Sabisky left his job after it was revealed he had claimed black people have lower IQs.