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Keir Starmer has criticized Robert Jenrick's statements about not seeing another white face in areas of Birmingham, stating the MP was difficult to regard credibly.

Leadership Campaign Accusations

The prime minister suggested that his observations were part of a covert Conservative bid for leadership and said he did not believe they painted a true picture the area of the Birmingham district.

It’s quite hard to take anything that Robert Jenrick says seriously; he’s clearly still running his leadership campaign.

Jenrick has been criticized for igniting a wave of divisive sentiment after he doubled down on his complaint despite backlash from figures including the former Conservative mayor of the region, Andy Street.

Community Response and Defense

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

• Street had told BBC Newsnight the comments were wrong and described Handsworth as a highly cohesive community.
• In my view, Andy Street's comments were accurate, the prime minister said. Andy Street obviously was mayor for a long time and knows the area very very well.

The Conservative leader, supported him, saying he had made a truthful observation and that there was no issue with noting realities.

But she also told 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 first senior Tory to distance himself from his colleague over the statements, informing a Politico fringe event that they were not words that I would have used.

The MP repeatedly told interviewers at the event that he supported the remarks 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 suggested that his remarks could embolden extremist organizations, Jenrick said it was an absolutely disgraceful and ridiculous question.

Initial Statements

In his original remarks, the MP said Handsworth was one of the worst integrated places I’ve ever been to. Specifically, in the hour and a half he was recording in the area he observed no other white individuals.

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. That’s not the right way we want to live as a country.