"That's not the kind of country I want to live in. I want to live in a country where people are properly integrated. "It's not about the colour of your skin, or your faith, of course it isn't. But I want people to be living alongside each other, not parallel lives."
"Six separate government reports over 20 years have highlighted the problem of parallel communities and called for a frank and honest conversation about the issue. The situation is no better today. Unlike other politicians, I won't shy away from this issue. We have to integrate communities if we are to be a united country."
"This weekend Kemi Badenoch said she stood against a politics that 'reduces people to categories and then pits them against each other'. 'Robert Jenrick in his leaked comments reduces people to the colour of their skin and judges his own level of comfort by whether there are other white faces around. His comments clearly cross a red line that"
Robert Jenrick was recorded saying Handsworth was "one of the worst-integrated places" he had visited and that he had not seen "another white face" during an hour-and-a-half visit. The recording was made at a Conservative Association event and its authenticity is not disputed by Jenrick's team. Jenrick defended his remarks, citing government reports on parallel communities and calling for integration. Labour figures, including Anna Turley and Handsworth MP Ayoub Khan, condemned the remarks as reducing people to skin colour and as false and irresponsible. The comments have provoked broader political criticism and debate about community cohesion.
Read at www.bbc.com
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