Introduction: A Personal Reflection
As a mixed-race Caribbean and Chinese woman, my experience of racism has been both personal and systemic. I grew up in a community where my family was one of only two ethnically diverse families.
At primary school, I was one of just three Black children. In my professional life, I was often the only ethnically diverse person in my rank as a manager.
When I started my business 28 years ago, I regularly travelled long distances to pitch for work, only to be turned away on arrival when people saw that I was Black. The assumption was that my skills and achievements could not be separated from my skin colour. Eventually, I put my photograph on my website, so potential clients knew who I was before meeting me. From that moment, the conversations changed: people approached me for my expertise, and many remain clients to this day.
This experience taught me that we must never judge a book by its cover, and that skin colour does not make us a homogeneous group.
Racism, however, continues to shape how people are perceived and treated in schools, workplaces, and communities across Britain.
Racism in Britain: Why Robert Jenrick’s Handsworth Comments Are Harmful
Introduction: What is racism?
Racism is the belief, conscious or unconscious, that people are of unequal worth because of their skin colour, ethnicity, or cultural heritage. It is expressed through individual behaviour, structural inequalities, and systemic exclusion. When political leaders reinforce these divisions, racism is not only normalised it is legitimised.
The Handsworth controversy
On 14 March 2025, Shadow Home Secretary Robert Jenrick told a Conservative Association dinner that during a visit to Handsworth in Birmingham, he “didn’t see another white face” and described the area as “one of the worst integrated places I’ve ever been.”
His words were condemned across the Midlands. Birmingham City Council leader Cllr John Cotton called them “racist” and “outrageous,” stating:
“If you are singling people out on the basis of their skin that is a racist statement.”
Faith leaders, community organisations, and residents labelled the comments “careless,” “incendiary,” and “harmful,” accusing Jenrick of using race as a wedge issue for political gain.
Why these comments are racist
Jenrick’s statement is racist because:
- It treats whiteness as the benchmark for community “integration.”
- It reduces a vibrant, diverse community to the absence of white people.
- It ignores systemic inequalities in housing, jobs, and public investment, framing difference as deficiency.
- It reinforces harmful narratives that communities of colour are a “problem” in need of fixing.
Historical proof: Britain’s record of exclusion: Racism in Britain is not new, nor confined to individuals. It has been embedded in structures for decades:
- Housing discrimination: Until the Race Relations Act 1968 made it illegal, Black and Asian families were routinely denied housing in certain areas. Local councils often concentrated them in districts like Moss Side (Manchester) and Handsworth (Birmingham).
- “White Flight”: When Black and Brown families moved into certain neighbourhoods, many white families relocated, leaving behind entrenched segregation.
- Policing and unrest: The Handsworth riots of 10 September 1985 erupted after years of discriminatory policing and deprivation. They are part of a wider pattern of uprisings in Brixton, Toxteth, and elsewhere communities rising against racism, not against diversity.
- Ongoing inequality: Ethnically diverse families today are still more likely to live in poor-quality housing and face discrimination in the rental market. Research in 2021 confirmed systemic racism remains present in England’s housing and homelessness systems.
The bigger picture: Racism across Britain: Representation and Inequality (Census 2021 & Official Data)
Census 2021 shows that Britain remains full of predominantly white communities, even in diverse city-regions. Being in a largely white area is normal, but it is only when a community is visibly Black or Brown that it becomes labelled as a ‘problem.’ This double standard demonstrates how whiteness is treated as the norm, while difference is marked and scrutinised.
Employment and Leadership Gaps
Employment statistics reveal entrenched inequality. 77% of white people are employed, compared with 69% of Black people, and only 61% of Pakistani and Bangladeshi groups. Unemployment is more than double for ethnically diverse groups compared with white groups. Representation in senior leadership remains stark only 7.8% of the Senior Civil Service comes from ethnically diverse backgrounds.
Education and Staffing
In schools, 83.2% of teachers in England are White British. Nearly half of English schools have no Black, Asian or ethnically diverse teachers at all, and leadership roles are even more disproportionately white. This means that ethnically diverse children often grow up without role models who reflect their own identity, while ethnically diverse teachers face added burdens such as cultural mediation, mentoring, and navigating microaggressions.
The Everyday Meaning of Comments Like Jenrick’s
Against this backdrop, Robert Jenrick’s remark about not seeing another white face is not simply careless it reveals how whiteness is treated as the benchmark for belonging.
Black and Brown people live every day as ‘the only one’ in classrooms, meetings, or workplaces. They experience hypervisibility and invisibility simultaneously expected to represent their group but rarely recognised as individuals. When politicians frame communities in this way, they reinforce exclusion and legitimise racism.
Although Britain is often described as a multicultural society, there are still towns and villages where you will rarely see a Black or Brown face. This is not accidental. It reflects decades of exclusionary housing practices, historic hostility, and uneven migration patterns. The result is a country where diverse communities are often framed as “problems”, while predominantly white areas are left unscrutinised.
The impact of racist discourse
When senior politicians like Jenrick frame diversity negatively, the consequences are profound:
- They embolden racism by giving legitimacy to everyday prejudice.
- They erode trust between ethnically diverse communities and political institutions.
- They damage cohesion, not by diversity itself, but by fuelling suspicion and division.
- They distract from real issues poverty, inequality, poor housing by scapegoating people based on skin colour.
Key messages for leaders and individuals
For political and community leaders:
- Speak out clearly against racist statements, wherever they come from.
- Recognise that integration is about equity, fairness, and investment, not about racial composition.
- Commit to policies that dismantle systemic barriers in housing, education, health, and employment.
For individuals:
- Challenge everyday racism when you see or hear it.
- Learn Britain’s true history of exclusion and resistance from the Windrush generation to the Handsworth riots.
- Understand that diversity is strength, and integration is about inclusion, not assimilation.
- Hold leaders to account for the language they use and the narratives they promote.
Conclusion
Robert Jenrick’s Handsworth remarks are not just careless words they are part of a long tradition of framing ethnically diverse communities as “outsiders.” Britain’s history shows us that racism has been enforced through housing, policy, and prejudice.
To move forward, leaders must be honest about this history, and individuals must stand up for inclusion in their daily lives.
| Area / Sector | White Population (%) | Black/Brown Population / Notes |
| Cumbria (Lake District) | 94.9% | 5.1% minorities (Allerdale, Copeland lowest nationally) |
| Wigan (Greater Manchester) | 95% | 1% Black; minorities ~8.2% |
| Sheffield | 79.1% | 4.6% Black |
| Richmond upon Thames (London) | 80.5% | 2% Black; 19.5% non-white overall |
| Havering (London) | 75.3% | 8% Black; 24.7% non-white overall |
| Employment (England, 2022) | 77% employed (White) | 69% employed (Black); 61% Pakistani/Bangladeshi |
| Unemployment | 3.3% (White) | 8% (Minority ethnic groups) |
| Senior Civil Service (2022) | 92.2% | 7.8% ethnic minorities |
| School teachers (England) | 83.2% White British | <17% minority; nearly half of schools have no BAME teachers |
Glossary
Ethnically diverse – People and communities who experience racial inequalities, including Black, Asian and other ethnic groups.
Black – In this document, refers to people of African and Caribbean heritage, acknowledging diversity within this identity.
Statistics – All statistics referenced in this document are from the 2021 Census (Office for National Statistics) and Ethnicity Facts and Figures (UK Government).