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The Prime Minister has criticized the shadow justice secretary's remarks about not seeing another white face in parts of Birmingham, stating the politician was difficult to regard credibly.

Leadership Campaign Accusations

Starmer implied that his observations were linked to a covert Tory leadership campaign and said he did not believe they painted a true picture the area of Handsworth.

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

The shadow justice secretary has been criticized for igniting a fire of toxic nationalism after he doubled down on his complaint despite criticism from figures including the ex-Tory mayor of the West Midlands, the former mayor.

Local Response and Defense

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

• Street had stated to BBC Newsnight the comments were wrong and portrayed Handsworth as a very integrated place.
• I think that what Andy Street said was right, the prime minister said. Having served as mayor for an extended period, Andy Street possesses deep familiarity with the locality.

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

However, she added on 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 initial high-ranking Conservative to distance himself from Jenrick over the comments, telling a gathering that they were phrases I would have avoided.

Jenrick repeatedly told journalists 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 the nation needs to engage in about social cohesion.

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

Initial Remarks

In his initial comments, Jenrick said Handsworth was among the least cohesive locations I have visited. Specifically, in the 90 minutes he was filming news there 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.