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

Leadership Campaign Claims

Starmer suggested that his comments were linked to a stealth Tory bid for leadership and asserted he did not believe they accurately reflected the area of Handsworth.

It’s quite hard to take anything that Robert Jenrick says seriously; he’s clearly still running his leadership campaign.

The shadow justice secretary has been accused of fuelling a fire of toxic nationalism after he doubled down on his complaint despite criticism from individuals including the ex-Tory mayor of the region, the former mayor.

Local Rejection and Support

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

• The former mayor had stated to BBC Newsnight the comments were wrong and described Handsworth as a highly cohesive community.
• In my view, Andy Street's comments were accurate, Starmer said. Andy Street obviously was mayor for a long time and knows the area very very well.

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

However, she added on the program: In my opinion, the discussion should not focus on the number or appearance of individuals seen on streets.

Party Disagreements

The shadow chancellor became the first senior Tory to disassociate from his colleague over the statements, informing a gathering that they were phrases I would have avoided.

The MP repeatedly told interviewers at the event that he supported the comments and did not resile from them as it would be wrong to end a crucial discussion that we have to have as a country about social cohesion.

When a reporter put it to him that his remarks could encourage extremist organizations, he said it was an completely unacceptable and absurd question.

Initial Statements

In his original remarks, Jenrick said the area was among the least cohesive locations I have visited. In fact, in the hour and a half he was filming news there 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.