ROBERT Jenrick has refused to apologise for saying he “didn’t see another white face” during a visit to Birmingham – insisting he “won’t shy away” from raising concerns about integration.
The Shadow Justice Secretary said Britain must face up to the reality of “ghettoised communities” and a “dangerous” lack of social cohesion.
PARobert Jenrick was recorded making the comments during a visit to Handsworth[/caption]
AlamyKemi Badenoch backed Jenrick after his comments[/caption]
His comments have been branded “racist” by Labour figures and local politicians but Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has leapt to his defence, saying there is “nothing wrong with making observations.”
The row erupted after The Guardian obtained a secret recording of Mr Jenrick describing a 90-minute visit to Handsworth earlier this year.
He told Tory members at an Aldridge-Brownhills dinner: “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.”
Just 9 per cent of Handsworth’s population is white, with the rest made up largely of Pakistani, Indian, and Bangladeshi communities, according to official data.
Asked if he had any regrets about his comments earlier this morning at party conference in Manchester, Mr Jenrick told the BBC: “No, not at all and I won’t shy away from these issues.”
He said he had brought up skin colour “because it’s incredibly important that we have a fully integrated society regardless of the colour of their skin or the faith that they abide by”.
He added: “I think it’s a very dangerous place if we have a country where people are living in ghettoised communities where people are not living together side by side in harmonious communities… we’ve seen the damage that that can do in society so it’s incredibly important that we resolve this.”
He also linked the terror attack in north Manchester last week with a lack of integration.
Mr Jenrick told Sky News: “Look, just the other day here in Manchester, we saw a man who had lived in this country for 30 years, but was clearly not integrated into our society, clearly did not share British values, committing an appalling terrorist attack by going to a synagogue and killing British Jews.
“That is, at the extreme level, where failures of integration lead, and that’s why we’ve got to have a debate about this, and not have it shut down whenever anyone puts their head above the parapet and talks about it publicly.”
Ms Badenoch defended her shadow minister, saying she would take the Guardian report “with a pinch of salt”.
The Tory leader said: “The fact is these are recordings out of context. I don’t know what was being discussed before he said that.
“But in and of itself, it’s a factual statement. If he said he didn’t see another white face, he might have been making an observation. There’s nothing wrong with making observations.
“What he and I both agree with is that there are not enough people integrating. There are many people who are creating separate communities.”
Labour has pounced on the controversy, saying Mr Jenrick had “crossed a red line”.
Party chair and Redcar MP Anna Turley said: “Robert Jenrick in his leaked comments reduces people to the colour of their skin and judges his own level of comfort by whether there are other white faces around.
“His comments clearly cross a red line that his leader has rightly laid down.”
West Midlands mayor Richard Parker also told the BBC he found the remarks racist, adding: “I do. Because he’s set out intentionally to draw on a particular issue – people’s colour – to identify the point he wanted to make.”
Earlier this week, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the terror attack on a Manchester synagogue proves there is a “problem” with integration in the UK.
Speaking after two people were killed on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur, she said she was “very worried about the state of community relations in our country”.
She told Sky News: “I think there is a question for us to ask ourselves on integration.
“You’re right Trevor, as somebody who has grown up with all the advantages of this society, all of the freedoms, all of the rights but all of the responsibilities that go alongside that.
“Why do people do these acts? It does feel inexplicable, but it is the job of a government, particularly one that cares about bringing our country together. and making sure all of our citizens are integrated and feel safe.
“It’s our job to think long and hard about why that is happening.”
AFPBritain’s main opposition Conservative Party shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
