🔗 Share this article

The Prime Minister has criticized Robert Jenrick's statements about not seeing another white face in parts of Handsworth, suggesting the MP was difficult to regard credibly.

Political Ambitions Accusations

The prime minister implied that his observations were linked to a covert Tory leadership campaign and asserted he did not believe they painted a true picture 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 criticized for igniting a wave of divisive sentiment after he reiterated his remarks despite backlash from figures including the former Conservative mayor of the region, the former mayor.

Local Rejection and Defense

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

• Street had told BBC Newsnight the remarks were incorrect and described the area as a highly cohesive community.
• 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, supported him, saying he had made a factual statement and that there was nothing wrong with making observations.

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 Disagreements

Mel Stride became the first senior Tory to distance himself from his colleague over the comments, informing a Politico fringe event that they were not words that I would have used.

Jenrick repeatedly told interviewers at the event that he supported 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 suggested that his remarks could embolden extremist organizations, Jenrick said it was an completely unacceptable and absurd inquiry.

Original Statements

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