Sir Keir Starmer has said he is "very concerned" about the upset he caused with comments about Bangladeshi migrants during a general election event.
In an interview with a British Bangladeshi TV station, the Labour leader sought to defuse rising anger over the remarks.
"I'm very concerned about any upset I may have caused,” he told ATN Bangla UK.
"That certainly wasn't my intention. I didn't mean to offend anyone or upset anyone and I am genuinely concerned that I have done so.
"The relationship between Labour and the Bangladeshi community is very, very strong."
During an election event held by The Sun newspaper on Monday, Sir Keir said: "At the moment people coming from countries like Bangladesh are not being removed because they’re not being processed."
The comment was in response to his criticism of the Conservative’s Rwanda migrant deportation scheme for people who arrive in Britain on small boats.
"The number of people being returned to where they came from has dropped off by 44 per cent under this government,” Sir Keir said.
"On the first few days of government, I’ll tell you what I’ll do, I’ll put the staff back in the returns unit, I’ll make sure I’ve got planes going off, not to Rwanda because that’s an expensive gimmick."
Sir Keir did not suggest that his government would deport those settled in Britain or with permission to stay in the UK.
But edited video clips have circulated on messaging apps and the remarks have been seized upon by independent candidates standing against Labour on July 4. Leaflets that falsely suggest Labour plans to “fast track” the deportation of Bangladeshis began dropping on doorsteps in the East End on Thursday.
Asked why he singled out Bangladesh in the debate, Sir Keir said: "I wasn't intending to single out Bangladesh.
“I was just thinking about the sorts of countries that we were working with in relation to asylum claims and therefore it was sort of front of mind.
“But I wasn't meaning to single out or say it's a particular issue with Bangladesh.”
He added: "I value hugely the contribution that the Bangladeshi community makes to our economy, to our culture, to our country."
Asked whether the comments had been clumsy, Sir Keir BBC Radio 5 Live: "Clumsy would be a good word, and I didn't mean to offend anyone, I was simply answering the question."
MP candidates standing in the three constituencies in Tower Hamlets, where nearly 35 per cent of residents are British Bangladeshis, distanced themselves from the remarks.
Tower Hamlets councillor Sabina Akhtar, the deputy leader of the local Labour group, resigned over the comments.
Apsana Begum, standing in Poplar and Limehouse, said she did not want to see "migrant communities being scapegoated".
Bethnal Green and Stepney candidate Rushanara Ali, who was first British Bangladeshi MP after her election in 2010, said: "There has been considerable concern and upset following the release of a clip of the Labour Party leader.
"I have been in close contact with his team to relay the concerns in our community. The relationship between the Labour Party, the British Bangladeshi community and Bangladesh is deeply rooted."
Councillor Sirajul Islam, leader of Tower Hamlets Labour group, said: "Like many in the Bangladeshi community I was disappointed with the comments made by Keir Starmer.
“British Bangladeshis make an invaluable contribution to our country and our party – there is no better example of that than here in Tower Hamlets.
“The comments Keir made were quickly chopped up and heavily edited by those who seek to sow division and discord in our community. It should be acknowledged that Keir was referring to an existing returns agreement and not proposing what was in the viral clip.
“However, I do not think it was necessary in the first place to single out any community, let alone the Bangladeshi one, to score political points on asylum and migration. I came to this country as a baby when my family fled conflict during the independence war, which is why this feels so personal.
“Unfortunately, some of my councillors are already being attacked online by the far right in response to these comments. There is currently an increasing sense of alienation and fear in our community, local Labour councillors and activists are seeing this on the doorstep as we campaign for a Labour government.”
