Starmer Dismisses Jenrick's Birmingham Comments as Difficult to Accept.

The Prime Minister has condemned the shadow justice secretary's statements about not seeing another white face in parts of Birmingham, suggesting the MP was hard to take seriously.

Leadership Campaign Claims

Starmer implied that his comments were part of a stealth Tory bid for leadership and asserted he did not believe they painted a true picture the area of Handsworth.

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 criticized for igniting a fire of toxic nationalism after he doubled down on his remarks despite criticism from figures including the former Conservative mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street.

Community Response and Support

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

• Street had stated to the media the comments were wrong and portrayed Handsworth as a highly cohesive community.
• 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 Jenrick, saying he had made a factual statement and that there was nothing wrong with making observations.

But she also told BBC Breakfast: 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, informing a Politico fringe event that they were phrases I would have avoided.

The MP repeatedly told interviewers at the event 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 integration.

When a reporter suggested that his comments could embolden extremist organizations, he said it was an absolutely disgraceful and ridiculous inquiry.

Original Statements

In his original remarks, the MP said Handsworth was among the least cohesive locations I have visited. Specifically, in the 90 minutes he was filming news there 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.