UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Tory leader Kemi Badenoch defended Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick, saying his “didn’t see another white face” comments were just an observation.
As reported by The Independent, Kemi Badenoch insisted Robert Jenrick’s remark about not seeing “another white face” was merely an observation.
The shadow justice secretary faced backlash after saying he “didn’t see another white face” while visiting Birmingham this year.
What did Kemi Badenoch say about Robert Jenrick’s remarks?
During an interview, when questioned about the remarks, Kemi Badenoch dismissed the left-leaning paper and claimed she took its reporting “with a pinch of salt.”
She said,
“The fact is these are recordings out of context, I don’t know what was being discussed before.”
The Conservative leader stated,
“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.”
Ms Badenoch 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 Andy Street say about Robert Jenrick’s Handsworth comments?
Andy Street, ex-Conservative mayor, rejected Robert Jenrick’s claim that Handsworth struggles with integration.
He said,
“I was mayor for seven years and was very proud to be mayor of the most diverse place in Britain.”
Mr Street added,
“To put it bluntly, Robert is wrong. It’s a place I know very well… It’s actually a very integrated place. If you go along the main streets there you will see Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims, Christians of African and Caribbean origin, and of course white people as well.”
What did Anna Turley say about Robert Jenrick’s remarks on race?
Labour Party chair Anna Turley slammed the shadow justice secretary for measuring comfort by others’ skin colour.
The MP for Redcar stated,
“This weekend Kemi Badenoch said she stood against a politics that ‘reduces people to categories and then pits them against each other.”
She said,
“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 his leader has rightly laid down.”
Ms Turley added,
“People of colour should not have to justify their Englishness or their Britishness, or their presence in this country to Robert Jenrick or anyone else. Robert Jenrick needs to urgently explain himself and why these comments are in any way compatible with what his party leader said yesterday.”
How did Khalid Mahmood slam Robert Jenrick over Handsworth comments?
Khalid Mahmood, ex-MP for Perry Barr, said Robert Jenrick’s claim was flawed, and integration cannot be judged by street views.
He said,
“I was immensely privileged for 23 years to serve that area and they are fantastic people of all colours, creeds, religions and no religion at all in Perry Barr and Handsworth.”
Mr Mahmood stated,
“I think it’s very, very negative. These people have struggled day in day out to make ends meet under the Conservative government. We’ve got a huge amount of HMOs [houses of multiple occupancy] in the area and the bin strike by the local authority hasn’t helped either. He’s playing on that. For the comment that he’s not seen a white face in Handsworth, that’s just ridiculous. There are all sorts of people, white, black, other sorts of people of all heritages and cultures.”
How did Ayoub Khan slam Robert Jencrick’s claims?
Perry Barr’s independent MP, Ayoub Khan, stated,
“The claims made by the shadow justice secretary are not only wildly false but also incredibly irresponsible. He has misrepresented a storied and diverse community, awkwardly distorting the product of an all-out bin strike to fit his culture-warrior narrative filled with far-right cliches.”
He added,
“What could be seen on the streets that day … was not the result of some failure of multiculturalism. It is the result of 14 years of sustained austerity measures under the Tory governments that he so loyally served, combined with continued neglect and mismanagement by the Labour-run council.”
Robert Jenrick’s views on his comments
Earlier this week, Robert Jenrick defended his remarks, saying,
“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.”
He added,
“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.”
Which Robert Jenrick remark fuels debate on integration?
At a Conservative dinner on March 14, Robert Jenrick said integration is about living together, not skin colour or faith.
Visiting Birmingham, he complained he “saw no other white faces” and said it wasn’t the kind of country he wanted.
Mr Jencrik stated,
“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.”
The shadow justice secretary 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.”
What did Sir John Curtice say about Lib Dems outpacing Tories?
Polling expert Sir John Curtice said Liberal Democrats could win more seats than Conservatives if polls hold.
At the Tory conference in Manchester, he said the party must reach “base camp” before attempting the electoral “Himalayas” to regain power.
Mr Curtice said,
“The Liberal Democrat vote is now much more geographically concentrated than your vote, and the electoral system is now treating you like it treated the Liberal Democrats.”
He added,
“And so the Liberal Democrats are just behind you in the polls, they are going to almost undoubtedly win more seats than you.”
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