Starmer says Jenrick is hard to take seriously' after Birmingham comments

"At a Conservative dinner recorded in March, Jenrick had complained of not seeing another white face in the neighbourhood of Handsworth and said it was not the kind of country he wanted to live in due to a lack of integration before saying it was not about skin colour or faith. Jenrick has been accused of fuelling a fire of toxic nationalism after he doubled down on his complaint despite criticism including from the former Conservative mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street."

"Asked about the remarks while en route to India, Starmer said: It's quite hard to take anything that Robert Jenrick says seriously; he's clearly still running his leadership campaign. Starmer, who did not directly engage with the comments, said he had agreed with Street's criticisms of the shadow justice secretary. Street had told BBC Newsnight the comments were wrong and described Handsworth as a very integrated place."

"I think that what Andy Street said was right, the prime minister said. Andy Street obviously was mayor for a long time and knows the area very very well. We're working hard on questions of integration but we need no lessons or lectures from Robert Jenrick on any of this. He's clearly just engaging in a leadership campaign. Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, defended Jenrick, 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."

Robert Jenrick complained about not seeing another white face in Handsworth and described the area as close to a slum, prompting accusations of fuelling toxic nationalism. Jenrick doubled down despite criticism from local figures, including former West Midlands mayor Andy Street, who described Handsworth as very integrated. The prime minister suggested Jenrick was running a stealth Conservative leadership campaign and rejected Jenrick's portrayal of the area. Keir Starmer called Jenrick hard to take seriously and agreed with Street's criticisms. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch defended Jenrick as making a factual observation but said the debate should not focus on appearances.

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