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Keir Starmer has condemned the shadow justice secretary's remarks about the lack of white faces in parts of Birmingham, stating the politician was hard to take seriously.

Political Ambitions Claims

The prime minister suggested that Jenrick's observations were part of a covert Conservative bid for leadership and asserted he did not believe they painted a true picture 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 wave of divisive sentiment after he reiterated his complaint despite backlash from figures including the ex-Tory mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street.

Community Response and Defense

The prime minister, who did not directly engage the comments, said he had supported Andy Street's criticisms of the MP.

• The former mayor had told the media the remarks were wrong and described Handsworth as a very integrated place.
• In my view, Andy Street's comments were accurate, the prime minister said. Having served as mayor for an extended period, Andy Street possesses deep familiarity with the locality.

The Conservative leader, defended Jenrick, saying he had made a factual statement and that there was no issue with noting realities.

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 his colleague over the statements, telling a Politico fringe event that they were not words that I would have used.

The MP repeatedly informed interviewers at the event that he supported 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 reporter put it to him that his comments could embolden far-right groups, he said it was an completely unacceptable and absurd inquiry.

Initial Remarks

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