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

Leadership Campaign Accusations

Starmer suggested that Jenrick's comments were linked to a stealth Conservative leadership campaign and said he did not believe they accurately reflected the neighborhood 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 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, the former mayor.

Community Response and Support

Starmer, who did not directly engage the comments, said he had agreed with Street's objections of the MP.

• Street had stated to the media 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.

The Conservative leader, supported Jenrick, saying he had made a truthful observation 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.

Internal Divisions

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

The MP repeatedly informed journalists at the conference that he stood by the comments and did not retract them as it would be wrong to shut down an important debate that the nation needs to engage in about integration.

When a reporter put it to him that his remarks could encourage far-right groups, he said it was an completely unacceptable and absurd question.

Initial Statements

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