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The Prime Minister has condemned the shadow justice secretary's remarks about the lack of white faces in parts of Handsworth, suggesting the MP was hard to take seriously.

Political Ambitions Claims

The prime minister implied that Jenrick's comments were linked to a stealth Tory bid for leadership and asserted 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.

Jenrick has been accused of fuelling a wave of divisive sentiment after he doubled down on his remarks despite criticism from individuals including the ex-Tory mayor of the West Midlands, the former mayor.

Community Response and Support

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

• Street had told the media the comments were wrong and described Handsworth as a very integrated place.
• I think that what Andy Street said was right, Starmer 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 truthful observation 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.

Party Divisions

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

Jenrick repeatedly informed journalists at the event that he stood by the remarks and did not retract them as it would be wrong to shut down an important debate that the nation needs to engage in about social cohesion.

When a Sky News journalist suggested that his comments could embolden extremist organizations, Jenrick said it was an absolutely disgraceful and ridiculous question.

Initial Statements

In his initial comments, the MP said the area 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.

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.