GB News presenter Patrick Christys has backed Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick after a leaked recording picked up the Tory MP saying he “didn’t see another white face” while filming in a Birmingham suburb.
Speaking on his show, Patrick questioned whether Mr Jenrick’s comments were really “that bad”, describing parts of Birmingham as “close to slum conditions”.
He showed viewers footage of a recent trip to Sparkhill, an inner-city part of Birmingham, and said he “should have gone with an interpreter” to communicate with most people.
Speaking on Britain's News Channel, the host said: "It kind of speaks for itself as you pan down that street.
Patrick showed some footage from his recent trip to Birmingham
|GB NEWS
"I’ve been to Birmingham a lot recently, I did a report from Sparkhill and honestly, I should have gone with an interpreter.
"I would have needed one to communicate with the vast majority of people walking past me there.
"I also went down Alum Rock Road, I don’t know if anyone’s had the pleasure, and I mean, that looks relatively close to slum conditions.
"So was Robert Jenrick actually being racist when he mentioned that he didn’t see a white face during a trip to a Birmingham suburb?”
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The remarks emerged from a recording at a Conservative dinner in March, where Mr Jenrick spent ninety minutes filming in Handsworth.
He declared it wasn't "the kind of country I want to live in", though he subsequently insisted his concerns weren't "about the colour of your skin or your faith".
The Shadow Justice Secretary emphasised his focus on community cohesion, stating people weren't "integrated" in the area.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live on Tuesday, Mr Jenrick refused to express regret, saying: "No, not at all and I won't shy away from these issues."
He warned against "ghettoised communities" where residents don't live "side by side in harmonious communities".
Prime Minister Keir Starmer dismissed Mr Jenrick's comments with derision, suggesting the Shadow Justice Secretary was "clearly still running his leadership campaign" following his defeat to Kemi Badenoch.
Patrick said it is 'close to slum conditions' in the area he visited
|GB NEWS
Mr Starmer told journalists it was "quite hard to take anything that Robert Jenrick says seriously.
Conservative Party chair Kevin Hollinrake has mounted a robust defence of his colleague.
He told GB News: "He was stating an absolute fact. There are some communities around the country that where it is mono-ethnic, and that's not something that I think we can, any of us, can be comfortable with."
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