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

Political Ambitions Claims

Starmer suggested that Jenrick's comments were linked to a covert Tory bid for leadership and asserted he did not believe they accurately reflected the area of the Birmingham district.

I find it difficult to regard Robert Jenrick's statements as credible; he's obviously continuing his leadership campaign.

The shadow justice secretary has been accused of fuelling a wave of divisive sentiment after he reiterated his remarks despite criticism from individuals including the ex-Tory mayor of the region, Andy Street.

Local Rejection and Support

The prime minister, who did not directly engage the comments, said he had agreed with Street's objections of Jenrick.

• Street had stated to the media the comments were incorrect and described Handsworth as a highly cohesive community.
• I think that what Andy Street said was right, the prime minister said. Andy Street obviously was mayor for a long time and knows the area very very well.

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

But she also told the program: 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.

Party Divisions

The shadow chancellor became the first senior Tory to disassociate from Jenrick over the statements, informing a Politico fringe event that they were not words that I would have used.

The MP repeatedly informed interviewers at the conference that he supported the remarks and did not resile from them as it would be wrong to end a crucial discussion that the nation needs to engage in about social cohesion.

When a reporter suggested that his comments could embolden extremist organizations, he said it was an completely unacceptable and absurd question.

Original Remarks

In his original remarks, the MP said Handsworth was among the least cohesive locations I have visited. In fact, in the 90 minutes he was recording in the area he didn’t see another white face.

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.