Business owners and residents in Handsworth have fiercely rejected claims by the shadow justice secretary, Robert Jenrick, that the Birmingham area is “one of the worst integrated places I’ve ever been to”, describing the comments as “careless” and “ill-informed”.
Jenrick is facing growing criticism from ministers and MPs after the Guardian revealed comments he made at a dinner earlier this year, where he said he “didn’t see another white face” while filming in Handsworth and said it was not the kind of country he wanted to live in. It was “as close as I’ve come to a slum in this country”, he said.
