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'No white face, like a slum': UK MP brands area with Indian, Pakistani residents, sparks outrage
UK MP Robert Jenrick faced backlash after he called Birmingham’s Handsworth area similar to "a slum” and noting he saw “no white face".
British MP and Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick has sparked controversy as he justifed his comments about the Soho Road area in Handsworth, Birmingham, home to many people of Indian and Pakistani origin. Jenrick described the area, again, as looking “like a slum” and underlined that it was “not the kind of country I want to live in”.
The remarks were originally made during a Conservative Association dinner in March, following a 90-minute visit to the neighborhood to film a news segment on litter during a strike by sanitation workers, according to the Daily Mail.
Jenrick defended his comments on The Telegraph’s Daily T podcast on Tuesday. He said there are “pockets” of towns and cities that are largely segregated and people should not be stopped from talking about it out of a "misplaced fear of being called racist".
He said, "It did look like a slum,” adding, "I didn't see a mix of people on the streets. It was an observation."
Jenrick had earlier said, "I went to Handsworth in Birmingham the other day to do a video on litter and it was absolutely appalling. It's as close as I've come to a slum in this country. But the other thing I noticed there was that it was one of the worst integrated places I've ever been to. In fact, 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."
The senior Tory also criticised judges for what he sees as "fighting to keep illegal migrants in UK" and raised concerns about the lack of integration in several parts of the country. He emphasised that he would not shy away from discussing these issues.
Party leader Kemi Badenoch defended Jenrick, stating that there was “nothing wrong” with what he said.
However, many local leaders condemned the remarks.
Former Tory Michael Heseltine warned Badenoch that the party’s attacks on migrants are “not the Conservative way to rebuild power” and added that divisive language “encourages the worst sort of prejudice”.
He further cautioned that, instead of aping the far-right party Reform UK, the Tories “must make clear that we will never have any part in the populist extremism of Nigel Farage”.
The Bishop of Birmingham, Michael Volland, called the remarks “entirely wrong” and said he had been dismayed and disappointed to hear them.
In a letter to Jenrick, he wrote: “Comments like those you have made have the potential to generate anxiety and stir up division. They can feed into a harmful narrative that provides fuel for a fire of toxic nationalism. It is deeply unhelpful for politicians to make such comments and I encourage you to think about how your rhetoric might contribute towards unity rather than stoking division.”
The UK has seen a resurgence of the far right, reflected in the growing popularity of anti-immigration rhetoric, protests, and the electoral rise of parties like Reform UK.
Far-right groups such as Patriotic Alternative and the newly formed Homeland Party have also expanded their presence, while figures like Tommy Robinson have mobilized large rallies, tapping into public anger over immigration, economic strain, and political disillusionment.
