'Like a slum': UK MP's 'racist' remarks sparks outcry; defends comments

UK MP Robert Jenrick is facing wide disapproval aft racist comments helium made during a sojourn to Birmingham’s Handsworth area. Robert Jenrick, the shadiness justness secretary, described Handsworth arsenic “one of the worst integrated places I’ve ever been to” and said helium “didn’t spot different achromatic face” portion filming there, calling the country “as adjacent arsenic I’ve travel to a slum successful this country.

”Handsworth is simply a divers area, with Birmingham City Council reporting 25% Pakistani, 23% Indian, 10% Bangladeshi, 16% Black African oregon Caribbean, 10% mixed oregon different ethnicities, and 9% achromatic residents, according to The Guardian.Also read: Trade successful absorption — But volition UK easiness visa rules for Indians? What PM Starmer saidHe said, "I went to Handsworth successful Birmingham the different time to bash a video connected litter and it was perfectly appalling. It's arsenic adjacent arsenic I've travel to a slum successful this country. But the different happening I noticed determination was that it was 1 of the worst integrated places I've ever been to.

In fact, successful the hr and a fractional I was filming quality determination I didn't spot different achromatic face. That's not the benignant of state I privation to unrecorded in." The remarks were made during a Conservative Association meal successful March.

Jenrick defended his remarks connected Tuesday during The Telegraph’s Daily T podcast, saying immoderate areas of towns and cities are “largely segregated” and that discussing this should not beryllium avoided owed to a “misplaced fearfulness of being called racist.” He added, “It did look similar a slum” and noted, “I didn't spot a premix of radical connected the streets. It was an observation.”