British Skills Minister David Lammy has condemned Dr Watson's remarks

In a newspaper interview, Dr James Watson was quoted as saying Africans were less intelligent than Europeans.

A British government minister, said such views would succeed only in encouraging racists.

David Lammy, the British Skills Minister- who is of Guyanese background background said Dr Watson's views "were deeply offensive".

"It is a shame that a man with a record of scientific distinction should see his work overshadowed by his own irrational prejudices."

Barbados-based Pan-Africanist David Commissiong was more scathing in his comments on Dr Watson.

"You're obviously dealing with a very ignorant person," he told BBC Caribbean.

"The fact is that human civilisation began in Africa with African people. There is a record of African intellectual achievement going back thousands of years.

"This man's views are clearly ludicrous."

'Outrageous comments'

Dr Watson, currently director of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) in New York, has arrived in Britain to promote his latest book.

In an interview with UK's Sunday Times newspaper, the 79-year-old said he was "inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa" because "all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours - whereas all the testing says not really".

This man's views are clearly ludicrous   David Commissiong, Pan-Africanist

He went on to say he hoped everyone was equal but that "people who have to deal with black employees find this is not true".

The Science Museum in London cancelled its lecture invitation to Dr Watson, saying he'd "gone beyond the point of acceptable debate."

A spokesman said: "We know that eminent scientists can sometimes say things that cause controversy and the Science Museum does not shy away from debating controversial topics.

"However, we feel Dr Watson has gone beyond the point of acceptable debate and we are, as a result, cancelling his talk."

'Robust questioning'

The scientist has courted controversy in the past, saying that a woman should have the right to abort her unborn child if tests could determine it would be homosexual.

Dr Watson is also due to speak in Bristol at the annual Festival of Ideas which will be hosted by Eric Watson, Bristol University's vice-chancellor.

A spokesman for the university said it respected "freedom of speech and the right of people to express their views".

But it expected "some robust questioning of Dr Watson on his ideas".