Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, has faced backlash after describing the Handsworth area of Birmingham as “as close as I’ve come to a slum in this country” and expressing concern about “not seeing another white face”. The remarks, made during a visit, have been condemned by local residents and commentators as divisive and racially charged.
In a letter to the Guardian, Handsworth resident Shuranjeet Singh highlighted the contributions of the community, noting that his grandmother arrived in the 1960s and that many others have built businesses and enriched the area. Singh pointed out the irony of Jenrick’s criticism, given that the Conservative government, of which Jenrick was a key member, had “threw my neighbourhood and city into neglect” through disinvestment.
Edward Lindon, writing from Taipei, argued that Jenrick’s language implies non-white people are not truly British, echoing experiences of exclusion he faced growing up in Lincolnshire. He warned the remarks could fuel future racial hatred.
Other correspondents noted Handsworth’s notable figures, including poet Benjamin Zephaniah and Baron Morris of Handsworth, a former union leader who moved to the area from Jamaica in 1954. Janet Walmsley questioned whether Jenrick would apply the same criticism to predominantly white areas, while Darryl Telles observed a lack of diversity in Jenrick’s own constituency of Newark.
Singh invited Jenrick to return to Handsworth to experience its positive aspects, such as the food on Soho Road, concluding: “I’ll see you on Soho Road, Robert – and hopefully you will leave a better man.”
