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Keir Starmer has condemned the shadow justice secretary's statements about the lack of white faces in areas of Birmingham, suggesting the politician was difficult to regard credibly.

Leadership Campaign Claims

The prime minister implied that his comments were linked to a stealth Tory 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 reiterated his complaint despite criticism from figures including the ex-Tory mayor of the West Midlands, the former mayor.

Local Rejection and Defense

Starmer, who did not directly engage the comments, said he had supported Street's objections of the MP.

• Street had stated to the media the comments were wrong and portrayed the area as a highly cohesive community.
• 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 Jenrick, 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 disassociate from his colleague over the comments, telling a Politico fringe event that they were not words that I would have used.

The MP repeatedly informed interviewers at the conference that he stood by the remarks and did not resile from them as it would be wrong to end a crucial discussion that the nation needs to engage in about integration.

When a Sky News journalist put it to him that his comments could encourage extremist organizations, Jenrick said it was an absolutely disgraceful and ridiculous inquiry.

Original Statements

In his original remarks, the MP said Handsworth was among the least cohesive locations I have visited. 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.