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The Prime Minister has condemned Robert Jenrick's remarks about the lack of white faces in parts of Handsworth, suggesting the MP was difficult to regard credibly.

Political Ambitions Claims

The prime minister suggested that his observations were part of a stealth Tory leadership campaign and said he did not believe they accurately reflected the neighborhood of the Birmingham district.

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 fire of toxic nationalism after he reiterated his remarks despite criticism from individuals including the former Conservative mayor of the region, Andy Street.

Local Rejection and Defense

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

• Street had stated to BBC Newsnight the comments were wrong and portrayed Handsworth as a very integrated place.
• I think that what Andy Street said was right, Starmer said. Andy Street obviously was mayor for a long time and knows the area very very well.

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

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.

Party Divisions

The shadow chancellor became the initial high-ranking Conservative to disassociate from Jenrick over the comments, informing a gathering that they were phrases I would have avoided.

Jenrick repeatedly told interviewers at the event that he stood by 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 integration.

When a Sky News journalist put it to him that his comments could embolden extremist organizations, he said it was an completely unacceptable and absurd inquiry.

Initial Remarks

In his initial comments, the MP said Handsworth 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 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.