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

Political Ambitions Claims

The prime minister implied that his observations were linked to a stealth Conservative leadership campaign and said he did not believe they painted a true picture the area of the Birmingham district.

I find it difficult to regard Robert Jenrick's statements as credible; he's obviously continuing his leadership campaign.

Jenrick has been accused of fuelling a fire of toxic nationalism after he doubled down on his complaint despite criticism from figures including the former Conservative mayor of the region, the former mayor.

Local Response and Support

The prime minister, who avoided directly addressing the comments, said he had supported Street's objections of the MP.

• Street had told BBC Newsnight the comments were incorrect and described Handsworth as a very integrated place.
• 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 truthful observation and that there was nothing wrong with making observations.

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 initial high-ranking Conservative to disassociate from his colleague over the statements, telling a gathering that they were not words that I would have used.

The MP repeatedly told 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 we have to have as a country about integration.

When a Sky News journalist put it to him that his remarks could encourage far-right groups, Jenrick said it was an absolutely disgraceful and ridiculous question.

Original Statements

In his original remarks, Jenrick said the area was among the least cohesive locations I have visited. Specifically, in the 90 minutes 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.