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The Prime Minister has condemned the shadow justice secretary's statements about not seeing another white face in areas of Handsworth, stating the politician was difficult to regard credibly.

Leadership Campaign Claims

Starmer implied that his observations were part of a stealth Tory leadership campaign and said he did not believe they painted a true picture the neighborhood 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 criticized for igniting a fire of toxic nationalism after he doubled down on his remarks despite backlash from individuals including the former Conservative mayor of the region, Andy Street.

Local Response and Defense

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

• Street had told the media the remarks were wrong and portrayed 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.

Kemi Badenoch, defended Jenrick, saying he had made a truthful observation and that there was nothing wrong with making observations.

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

Internal Disagreements

Mel Stride became the initial high-ranking Conservative to distance himself from Jenrick over the comments, telling a Politico fringe event that they were not words that I would have used.

Jenrick repeatedly told journalists at the event that he stood by the comments and did not retract them as it would be wrong to end a crucial discussion that we have to have as a country about social cohesion.

When a Sky News journalist suggested that his comments could embolden far-right groups, he said it was an completely unacceptable and absurd inquiry.

Initial Statements

In his original remarks, Jenrick said the area was one of the worst integrated places I’ve ever been to. Specifically, 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.