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The Prime Minister has criticized Robert Jenrick's remarks about not seeing another white face in areas of Handsworth, stating the MP was difficult to regard credibly.

Political Ambitions Claims

Starmer implied that Jenrick's observations were part of a covert Conservative leadership campaign and asserted he did not believe they painted a true picture the area of Handsworth.

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

Jenrick has been accused of fuelling a wave of divisive sentiment after he doubled down on his complaint despite criticism from figures including the former Conservative mayor of the West Midlands, the former mayor.

Community Response and Support

The prime minister, who avoided directly addressing the comments, said he had supported Street's objections of the MP.

• Street had stated to the media the remarks were incorrect and described the area as a very integrated place.
• I think that what Andy Street said was right, the prime minister said. Having served as mayor for an extended period, Andy Street possesses deep familiarity with the locality.

Kemi Badenoch, supported Jenrick, saying he had made a factual statement and that there was no issue with noting realities.

But she also told BBC Breakfast: I don’t think this is where the debate should be, about how many faces people see on the street and what they look like.

Internal Disagreements

The shadow chancellor became the first senior Tory to distance himself from Jenrick over the comments, telling a gathering that they were not words that I would have used.

The MP repeatedly informed interviewers at the conference that he stood by the comments and did not resile from them as it would be wrong to shut down an important debate that we have to have as a country about social cohesion.

When a reporter put it to him that his comments could embolden far-right groups, he said it was an absolutely disgraceful and ridiculous inquiry.

Original Remarks

In his initial comments, Jenrick said the area was one of the worst integrated places I’ve ever been to. Specifically, in the hour and a half he was filming news there he didn’t see another white face.

This is not the nation I desire to reside in. I prefer a country with proper integration. Skin color or religion is not the issue—naturally not. However, I advocate for people coexisting together, not leading separate existences. That is not the ideal lifestyle for our country.