Tetchy Robert Jenrick lashes out at Mirror reporter - 'stupid question'

Under-fire Robert Jenrick lashed out at a Mirror reporter after he was challenged for his complaint that he "didn't see another white face" on a trip to Birmingham.

The Shadow Justice Secretary tetchily retorted that it was a “stupid question” when he was asked about whether non-white Brits are as British as white people.

The top Tory has been criticised for suggesting the number of white people he saw during a 90-minute period indicated whether Handsworth was “properly integrated”.

He has since faced accusations of racism amid questions about how he could tell if people were integrated into the UK based on the colour of their skin.

Confronting Mr Jenrick at the Tory Party conference in Manchester, The Mirror asked him whether he “thought a Black British person or an Asian British person is as British as a white person”.

READ MORE: Sky News host slaps down top Tory leaving him squirming over 'white faces' remark

The Tory MP for Newark snapped back: “Of course they are. Why are you asking such a stupid question? Come back to me with better questions next time.”

The reporter responded: “Because you mentioned white people in an area… you used white people, and how many white people are in an area, as an indicator of whether it was integrated.”

Locals in Handsworth have reacted angrily to Mr Jenrick's comments and accused him of "spouting cr*p".

Vinod Parekh, 60, moved to the city from Fiji 35 years ago, and now runs a custom-made jewellery business. He said: “We have a lot of people making a business here. What difference does it make what colour of skin they have?”

The Bishop of Birmingham, Right Reverend Michael Volland, warned Mr Jenrick his comments risked stirring up division. In a letter to the top Tory, the Birmingham bishop said: "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."

READ MORE: Kemi Badenoch refuses to slap down Robert Jenrick over 'white face' remark

READ MORE: Robert Jenrick slammed over comment about not seeing 'another white face' in Birmingham area

And community leader Bishop Dr Desmond Jaddoo demanded Mr Jenrick apologise for his "divisive" comments. He said: "I was born in Handsworth maternity hospital and I'm black, does that make me un-British?

"I know of lots people from ethnic minorities who are proud to live in Handsworth and are proud to call themselves British. I also know lots of white folk who are also proud to live in Handsworth. Why is he [Jenrick] making these divisive comments in 2025?”

But Mr Jenrick doubled down on his comments, telling the Telegraph's Daily T podcast: “I grew up in Wolverhampton in the 80s and 90s. It was one of the most diverse cities in the country but by and large, people lived side by side… There were not segregated communities.

“That is the kind of country I want to live in. I do not want people living in ghettoised communities. That’s very dangerous and it has to be stopped.”

Asked about what he thought should be done about people “living in silos”, and Denmark’s plans to break up such communities, he added: “I’m interested in the ideas that have been developed in other countries. It’s something that we as a party should be thinking about.”

Mr Jenrick earlier said he did not regret his comments, adding: “I won't shy away from these issues." He added that 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".

The leaked comments came after Kemi Badenoch told her party's conference she would not allow anyone on the right to tell her children "they do not belong in their own country".

But the Tory refused to slap down her leadership rival, describing Mr Jenrick’s comment as a "factual statement". The Conservative leader said the report should be taken "with a pinch of salt" and went on: "But 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.

"But what he and I both agree with is that there are not enough people integrating. There are many people who are creating separate communities."

West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker said he believed Mr Jenrick’s comments on Handsworth were racist. Asked if he thought they were, he told BBC Radio WM: "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.

"The issue for me is that rather than reflect on the positive aspects of that community... he wanted to draw on a particular issue of ethnicity and colour. I think that is simply wrong. It shows a lack of respect and understanding for those communities.”

Bridget Phillipson said Mr Jenrick’s comments were “deeply troubling”. The Education Secretary said: “I think that is a deeply troubling set of remarks. I mean, I haven't heard the wider excerpt of that, but the bits I have seen reported, I think Robert Jenrick has got a lot of explaining to do.

“Is he, for example, suggesting that somehow the colour of your skin makes you less British than someone else? Is that the implication of what he's saying? I think it will be good if Robert Jenrick could come out and explain exactly what it is he meant when he said that.”

Mr Jenrick's comments were recorded during a dinner at the Aldridge-Brownhills Conservative Association dinner in March.

According to the Guardian, he told the 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.

“That’s not the kind of country I want to live in. I want to live in a country where people are properly integrated. It’s not about the colour of your skin or your faith, of course it isn’t. But I want people to be living alongside each other, not parallel lives. That’s not the right way we want to live as a country.”

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