The Tory MP said that during the one and a half hours he was in the locality, he did not see a white face. Photo: @RobertJenrick
Tory MP Robert Jenrick faces backlash over ‘slum’ remark, UK PM reacts
Tory MP Robert Jenrick sparks outrage after calling Birmingham’s multicultural Soho Road a “slum.” UK PM rebukes him over the divisive remarks
A senior Tory MP, Robert Jenrick, has sparked widespread outrage after he dubbed the Soho Road in Handsworth, Birmingham, a multicultural area and home to many residents of Indian and Pakistani origin, as a “slum” and “one of the worst integrated places" he has ever seen.
According to a report in the Daily Mail, Jenrick, the Shadow Justice Secretary, made the remarks in March during a Conservative Association dinner after he spent 90 minutes at Soho Road filming a news segment on littering. The audio of his remark recently got leaked.
‘I didn't see another white face’
"I went to Handsworth in Birmingham... it was absolutely appalling. It's as close as I've come to a slum in this country,” Jenrick has, according to the report.
The Tory MP also said that during the one and a half hours he was in the locality, he did not see a white face, adding that it is not the kind of country he wanted to live in.
"In the hour and a half I was filming the news there, I didn't see another white face. That's not the kind of country I want to live in,” he added.
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UK PM slams Jenrick
Jenrick's remarks have triggered a massive backlash, with the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stating that the Shadow Justice Secretary should not be taken seriously and accusing him of continuing the leadership campaign of his party with such remarks.
“We're working hard on questions of integration, but we need no lessons or lectures from Robert Jenrick on any of this. He's clearly just engaging in a leadership campaign,” the UK PM said as quoted by the Daily Mail.
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Tory MP defends his remarks
However, the Tory MP remained defiant, arguing that his remarks were not about skin colour but about people “living alongside each other.”
Jenrick argued that he was drawing attention to a very important issue, adding that the recent attack at a synagogue in Manchester was the outcome of failure to integrate.
“Six separate government reports over 20 years have highlighted the problem of parallel communities and called for a frank and honest conversation about the issue,” he added.