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

Leadership Campaign Accusations

Starmer implied that Jenrick's observations were linked to a stealth Conservative leadership campaign and asserted 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 criticized for igniting a wave of divisive sentiment after he reiterated his remarks despite backlash from figures including the ex-Tory mayor of the region, Andy Street.

Local Rejection and Support

Starmer, who avoided directly addressing the statements, said he had agreed with Andy Street's objections of Jenrick.

• Street had told BBC Newsnight the remarks were incorrect and portrayed the area as a highly cohesive community.
• In my view, Andy Street's comments were accurate, the prime minister said. Andy Street obviously was mayor for a long time and knows the area very very well.

Kemi Badenoch, supported Jenrick, saying he had made a truthful observation and that there was no issue with noting realities.

However, she added on 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 Disagreements

Mel Stride became the first senior Tory to distance himself from Jenrick over the comments, informing a Politico fringe event that they were phrases I would have avoided.

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

When a Sky News journalist put it to him that his comments could encourage far-right groups, Jenrick said it was an completely unacceptable and absurd question.

Original Statements

In his initial comments, Jenrick said Handsworth was one of the worst integrated places I’ve ever been to. In fact, in the 90 minutes he was recording in the area he observed no other white individuals.

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.