Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has defended shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick after he remarked that he did not see 'another white face' during a visit to Handsworth, Birmingham. Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Badenoch described Jenrick's comments as a 'factual statement' and said there was 'nothing wrong with making observations'. However, she added that the debate should not focus on 'how many faces people see on the street and what they look like'.
Jenrick made the remarks at a dinner in March, as first reported by the Guardian. He described Handsworth as 'as close as I've come to a slum in this country' and said it was 'one of the worst integrated places I've ever been to'. He stated: 'In the hour and a half I was filming news there I didn't see another white face. That's not the kind of country I want to live in.'
Former Tory West Midlands mayor Andy Street criticised Jenrick, saying Handsworth was 'very well integrated' with a mix of ethnic groups. 'Putting it bluntly, Robert is wrong,' Street told BBC Newsnight. Labour West Midlands mayor Richard Parker went further, accusing Jenrick of racism and questioning his fitness to serve as an MP. 'Handsworth is a really vibrant community,' Parker said.
Jenrick later defended his comments, citing six government reports over 20 years highlighting 'parallel communities'. He told Sky News: 'I don't resile from those comments. I want to live in a country which is well integrated.' Badenoch cast doubt on the Guardian's reporting, saying she had not listened to the recording, and stressed the need for integration without focusing on skin colour.
