‘I feel safe here’ Handsworth locals dismiss Jenrick’s ‘slum with no white faces’ slur

As a fixture in the heart of the Soho Road for more than three decades, Viyaah Accessories has outlived many political eras.  

The displays of silk shawls and exquisite bridal jewellery inside the family-run store are a world away from Robert Jenrick’s depiction of Handsworth as the nearest thing he has seen to a ‘slum’ in Britain.  

The specialists in Sikh wedding planning and accessories gave Metro a warm welcome as they responded to the Tory MP’s depiction of the Birmingham neighborhood as an ethnic ghetto. 

In common with other traders on the road, marketing manager Jaspal Singh did highlight ongoing problems in the inner-city ward — but not the ones flagged by Mr Jenrick in his leaked remarks.  

‘Crime has got worse,’ he said.

‘There were a lot of HMOs [houses of multiple occupation] that were set up here a couple of years ago, and they were housing people out on probation.

‘Which is fine, everyone deserves a second chance, but even in the daytime crime is visible. It’s tough for shopkeepers because less people want to come to the area.’ 

‘Different cultures exist side-by-side’

None of the locals Metro spoke to today flagged social integration or racial hostility between any groupings as a problem. 

There are many different faith and cultural groups co-existing in the neighborhood, which is one of the more deprived wards in the city, according to official figures.

‘There’s always been a lot of different cultures and people on the Soho Road over the years, nothing has changed in that respect,’ Mr Singh said.  

‘People generally get on and there are no issues on a day-to-day basis.’ 

The shadow justice secretary complained ‘of not seeing another white face’ in Handsworth, which was based on a 90-minute visit to film a GB News report on litter and fly-tipping. He claimed that the suburb was ‘as close as I’ve come to a slum in this country.’  

‘We leave talking to the politicians’

Asked about the relatively few white faces on the road, Mr Singh responded: ‘That’s not anyone’s fault and it doesn’t mean the area doesn’t welcome white people. 

‘People of all faiths and colors are always welcome here.’

On the main stretch of the Soho Road, nearly all the shops are taken up by independent traders or small chain stores struggling with the perennial issues of chaotic parking, street drinkers and shoplifters.

Security professionals on patrol in the area said that the problems caused by shoplifters and people with substance misuse issues are in common with other parts of the city and reflect more general societal problems.  

None of the white members of staff, who the Metro is not naming, told of having encountered racism.  

‘We are out here saving lives [from overdoses] on a daily basis,’ one said.  

‘We leave the talking to the politicians in their offices and just get on dealing with the reality.’ 

Electrician Sukhi Singh, who was wiring up Direct Fireworks ready for opening in another store on the road, was more concerned with parking than the racial integration issues flagged by Mr Jenrick.

‘There are issues here with drink and drug use, but I’ve not seen any racism here,’ he said. ‘The other thing is parking — obviously, people are just parking left, right and center. 

‘There are traffic wardens here, but we haven’t seen them for days now.’  

The tradesman has seen nothing to suggest there is racial tension or any kind of related hostility in the area.  

‘I’ve not seen anything negative so far but we haven’t opened up yet, so fingers crossed it will stay that way,’ he said.

‘I can’t comment on the politics specifically because I’ve not caught up on it, I’ve been too busy working.’  

Another trader, who runs a decades-old family business on the street, told Metro that Mr Jenrick’s comments made him ‘angry’.

The man, who did not want to be named, said: ‘You can go to a predominantly white area or a predominantly black area and feel intimidated, you don’t feel that here.

‘You also have to ask what kind of white people he was looking for, there are white alcoholics and junkies on the street all the time, but he wasn’t going to say that.’

‘Issues at night, but we like it here’

At the Wah Wah Mirchi grocery store, where goods from around the world were piled high around the shopfloor, the staff said nighttime does bring safety concerns, but they did not recognize any problems with integration.  

Wearing a high-vis jacket as he went around his duties, employee Sompal Singh smiled when asked what it is like working on the busiest stretch of the road, close to the main car parking area. 

‘There are issues with people stealing in the daytime but the area is friendly, I enjoy working here,’ he said.  

Harjinder Kaur, of Soho Sweet center and Bakers, spoke from behind a counter where Indian delicacies such as khoya barfi, jalebi and milk cake were neatly assembled on trays inside tall glass cabinets. 

The menu also offers a choice of a Desi or English breakfast with tea.  

Ms Kaur feels comfortable living and working in an area where different faith and cultural groups exist side by side.  

‘I am Indian and there are many Muslims living here, they are nice people, and I enjoy speaking with them,’ she said.

‘Urdu is spoken in both India and Pakistan, so it’s easy to make conversation. I feel safe here walking between my work and my home in the morning and in the evening.’

Ms Kaur didn’t recognize the description of her neighborhood as ‘close to a slum’, but said: ‘The area could be better if they came to clean it up.’  

‘I’m advocating for people to interact’

Emmanuel Muanda, a volunteer housing support worker, had cycled to Handsworth Library on Soho Road for a meeting.

Mr Muanda, originally from Democratic Republic of the Congo, wants to be a ‘paradigm shifter rather than an influencer’ in helping to revive the area through housing.  

‘There is crime in Handsworth the same as there is in any other area,’ he said. ‘But a lot depends on how it’s presented, and the statistics can be misleading. At the end of the day, it’s our neighborhood, and it’s only us that can make it a better place.  

‘I’m advocating for encouraging people to interact, because sometimes we hate others because they don’t look like us.’ 

Mr Muanda, who has lived in Liverpool as well as other parts of the UK and Birmingham, views housing as the biggest priority for the area, which was once associated with the city’s Jamaican community before the demographic changed. 

‘The face of this historic neighborhood is changing, there are less black and more Asian faces, but to me it doesn’t matter,’ he said.

‘The truth is that housing is the bedrock of social integration.

‘Once people value their neighborhood and the right services are in place, a house becomes a home and the worth of their properties increases.

‘But while there is a housing crisis, what I hear from people I am in contact with is that the biggest properties are being snatched by people who can benefit from the market situation.’

Earlier this afternoon, Ayoub Khan, the independent MP for Perry Barr, which includes Handsworth, had been on the road to speak to the media about Mr Jenrick’s remarks.  

On X, he described the comments as ‘irresponsible and reprehensible’ and claimed: ‘It’s little wonder public confidence in Tories has collapsed.’ 

The Conservative MP has stood by his comments since the furore erupted, saying it would be wrong to ‘shut down an important debate that we have to have as a country.’ 

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