🔗 Share this article

Keir Starmer has criticized Robert Jenrick's statements about the lack of white faces in areas of Handsworth, suggesting the politician was hard to take seriously.

Political Ambitions Claims

Starmer implied that his observations were part of a covert Tory bid for leadership and said he did not believe they accurately reflected the area of the Birmingham district.

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 criticism from individuals including the ex-Tory mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street.

Local Rejection and Defense

The prime minister, who avoided directly addressing the comments, said he had agreed with Andy Street's criticisms of the MP.

• Street had told BBC Newsnight the comments were wrong and described Handsworth as a highly cohesive community.
• In my view, Andy Street's comments were accurate, Starmer said. Andy Street obviously was mayor for a long time and knows the area very very well.

The Conservative leader, supported him, saying he had made a truthful observation and that there was no issue with noting realities.

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 disassociate from Jenrick over the statements, telling a Politico fringe event that they were phrases I would have avoided.

The MP repeatedly informed journalists at the conference that he supported the comments and did not retract them as it would be wrong to end a crucial discussion that we have to have as a country about integration.

When a reporter suggested that his remarks could encourage extremist organizations, Jenrick said it was an completely unacceptable and absurd inquiry.

Original Remarks

In his original remarks, the MP said the area was among the least cohesive locations I have visited. Specifically, in the hour and a half he was recording in the area 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.