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Keir Starmer has condemned Robert Jenrick's statements about the lack of white faces in parts of Handsworth, suggesting the politician was hard to take seriously.

Political Ambitions Accusations

Starmer implied that his comments were linked to a covert Conservative bid for leadership and asserted he did not believe they painted a true picture the neighborhood of the Birmingham district.

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 figures including the ex-Tory mayor of the region, Andy Street.

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 told BBC Newsnight the comments were wrong and described Handsworth as a highly cohesive community.
• I think that what Andy Street said was right, Starmer said. Having served as mayor for an extended period, Andy Street possesses deep familiarity with the locality.

Kemi Badenoch, defended him, saying he had made a factual statement and that there was nothing wrong with making observations.

But she also told 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.

Internal 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 phrases I would have avoided.

The MP repeatedly informed interviewers at the conference that he stood by the remarks and did not resile from them as it would be wrong to end a crucial discussion that the nation needs to engage in about social cohesion.

When a Sky News journalist suggested that his comments could encourage extremist organizations, 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 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.