🔗 Share this article

Keir Starmer has criticized Robert Jenrick's remarks about not seeing another white face in areas of Birmingham, suggesting the MP was hard to take seriously.

Leadership Campaign Accusations

The prime minister implied that his comments were linked to a stealth Tory leadership campaign and asserted he did not believe they accurately reflected the area of Handsworth.

It’s quite hard to take anything that Robert Jenrick says seriously; he’s clearly still running his leadership campaign.

The shadow justice secretary has been criticized for igniting a fire of toxic nationalism after he doubled down on his complaint despite backlash from figures including the ex-Tory mayor of the region, Andy Street.

Community Response and Support

The prime minister, who did not directly engage the statements, said he had agreed with Street's criticisms of the MP.

• Street had told the media the remarks were wrong and portrayed Handsworth as a highly cohesive community.
• In my view, Andy Street's comments were accurate, the prime minister said. Having served as mayor for an extended period, Andy Street possesses deep familiarity with the locality.

Kemi Badenoch, defended Jenrick, saying he had made a factual statement and that there was nothing wrong with making observations.

But she also told the program: In my opinion, the discussion should not focus on the number or appearance of individuals seen on streets.

Party Divisions

Mel Stride became the first senior Tory to distance himself from his colleague over the comments, informing a gathering that they were phrases I would have avoided.

The MP repeatedly informed journalists at the event that he stood by the remarks and did not retract them as it would be wrong to shut down an important debate that the nation needs to engage in about integration.

When a Sky News journalist suggested that his remarks could embolden extremist organizations, Jenrick said it was an completely unacceptable and absurd inquiry.

Initial Remarks

In his original remarks, the MP said the area was among the least cohesive locations I have visited. Specifically, in the 90 minutes he was filming news there he observed no other white individuals.

That’s not the kind of country I want to live in. I want to live in a country where people are properly integrated. It’s not about the colour of your skin or your faith – of course it isn’t. But I want people to be living alongside each other, not parallel lives. That’s not the right way we want to live as a country.