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Keir Starmer has condemned the shadow justice secretary's remarks about not seeing another white face in parts of Birmingham, stating the MP was difficult to regard credibly.

Leadership Campaign Accusations

Starmer implied that Jenrick's observations were part of a stealth Tory leadership campaign and asserted he did not believe they accurately reflected the area of the Birmingham district.

I find it difficult to regard Robert Jenrick's statements as credible; he's obviously continuing his leadership campaign.

Jenrick has been criticized for igniting a wave of divisive sentiment after he reiterated his complaint despite criticism from individuals including the ex-Tory mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street.

Local Rejection and Support

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

• Street had told the media the comments were incorrect and described the area as a very integrated place.
• I think that what Andy Street said was right, Starmer 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 nothing wrong with making observations.

But she also told the program: In my opinion, the discussion should not focus on the number or appearance of individuals seen on streets.

Internal Divisions

The shadow chancellor became the initial high-ranking Conservative to disassociate from his colleague over the statements, telling a gathering that they were phrases I would have avoided.

The MP repeatedly told journalists at the conference that he supported the comments and did not resile from them as it would be wrong to end a crucial discussion that we have to have as a country about integration.

When a reporter put it to him that his remarks could encourage extremist organizations, Jenrick said it was an absolutely disgraceful and ridiculous inquiry.

Original Statements

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

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.