UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – British PM Keir Starmer criticised shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick’s Birmingham remarks, calling him “hard to take seriously” amid race backlash.
As reported by The Guardian, Sir Keir Starmer slammed Robert Jenrick over his Birmingham comments, calling the shadow justice secretary “hard to take seriously.”
The prime minister accused Robert Jenrick of using his Birmingham remarks to advance a stealth leadership bid, dismissing his “slum” claim as misleading about Handsworth.
At a March Conservative dinner, Mr Jenrick complained about seeing few white faces in Handsworth, saying poor integration made it undesirable, though he claimed it wasn’t about race or faith.
What did Keir Starmer say about Robert Jenrick’s Birmingham remarks?
When asked about the shadow justice secretary’s remarks en route to India, Keir Starmer said,
“It’s hard to take anything Robert Jenrick says seriously; he’s clearly still running his leadership campaign.”
The prime minister agreed with former West Midlands mayor Andy Street, saying Robert Jenrick’s remarks on Handsworth were “wrong” and the area is “very integrated.”
Mr Starmer said,
“I think that what Andy Street said was right. Andy Street obviously was mayor for a long time and knows the area very very well.”
He added,
“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.”
What did Kemi Badenoch say about Robert Jenrick’s remarks?
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch defended Robert Jenrick, calling his remarks “factual” and insisting there was “nothing wrong with observations.”
She said,
“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.”
Ms Badenoch stated,
“The fact is these are recordings out of context, I don’t know what was being discussed before. In and of itself, it’s a factual statement. If he said he didn’t see another white face, he might have been making an observation. There’s nothing wrong with making observations.”
She added,
“I wasn’t there, so I can’t say how many faces he saw, but the point is that there are many people in our country who are not integrating. I heard that one of the MPs of that area was accusing him of racism. I completely disagree with that. I want to make that very clear.”
What did the Bishop of Birmingham say about Robert Jenrick’s remarks?
The Bishop of Birmingham, Michael Volland, said he was disappointed by Robert Jenrick’s comments.
In a letter to the shadow justice secretary, co-signed by several community leaders, he stated,
“Comments like those you have made have the potential to generate anxiety and stir up division.”
Mr Volland added,
“They can feed into a harmful narrative that provides fuel for a fire of toxic nationalism. It is deeply unhelpful for politicians to make such comments and I encourage you to think about how your rhetoric might contribute towards unity rather than stoking division.”
How did Robert Jenrick defend his Handsworth comments?
At a Tuesday conference, Robert Jenrick defended his remarks, insisting the debate on integration must continue and should not be silenced.
When asked if his remarks might encourage far-right groups, Mr Jenrick dismissed the question as “absolutely disgraceful and ridiculous.”
Referring to his comments, he said,
“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.”
The comments recorded during a Tory dinner in March, the shadow justice secretary said, “I went to Handsworth in Birmingham the other day to do a video on litter and it was absolutely appalling. It’s as close as I’ve come to a slum in this country. But the other thing I noticed there was that it was one of the worst integrated places I’ve ever been to. In fact, in the hour and a half I was filming news there I didn’t see another white face.”
He added,
“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.”
Keir Starmer’s views on UK visas for Indian workers
Keir Starmer rejects demands from business leaders for more skilled worker visas from India.
During his Mumbai trade trip with over 100 business leaders, the prime minister said UK visas for Indian workers “aren’t part of the plan.”
On his first major trade tour to India after the UK-India deal stuck, Mr Starmer said,
“The issue is not about visas. It’s about engagement, investment, jobs, and prosperity for the UK.”
Tory members’ stance on Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick
Around half of Conservative Party members oppose Kemi Badenoch leading the party into the next general election.
An exclusive YouGov poll for Sky News shows 46% of Tory members back a full merger with Reform UK, despite Ms Badenoch opposing the move.
The survey shows that Half of Tory members want Ms Badenoch out, while 46% back Robert Jenrick, and 64% support the Reform UK pact despite her opposition.