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Keir Starmer has criticized Robert Jenrick's remarks about not seeing another white face in parts of Handsworth, suggesting the MP was hard to take seriously.

Leadership Campaign Claims

The prime minister implied that his comments were linked to a covert Conservative leadership campaign and asserted he did not believe they accurately reflected the neighborhood of Handsworth.

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

Jenrick has been accused of fuelling a fire of toxic nationalism after he doubled down on his complaint despite backlash from individuals including the former Conservative mayor of the region, the former mayor.

Community Rejection and Support

Starmer, who avoided directly addressing the statements, said he had agreed with Andy Street's criticisms of Jenrick.

• Street had stated to the media the remarks were incorrect 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.

Kemi Badenoch, defended him, saying he had made a truthful observation and that there was no issue with noting realities.

However, she added on 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.

Internal Disagreements

The shadow chancellor became the first senior Tory to distance himself from Jenrick over the comments, informing a gathering that they were not words that I would have used.

The MP repeatedly told journalists at the event that he supported the remarks and did not retract them as it would be wrong to end a crucial discussion that the nation needs to engage in about social cohesion.

When a Sky News journalist suggested that his comments could embolden far-right groups, he said it was an absolutely disgraceful and ridiculous question.

Initial Statements

In his original remarks, the MP said the area was among the least cohesive locations I have visited. Specifically, in the 90 minutes he was recording in the area he didn’t see another white face.

This is not the nation I desire to reside in. I prefer a country with proper integration. Skin color or religion is not the issue—naturally not. However, I advocate for people coexisting together, not leading separate existences. That is not the ideal lifestyle for our country.