Labour MP Calvin Bailey who served more than 24 years in the Royal Air Force has hit out at ‘racist’ comments from Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin and Tory MP Robert Jenrick
A Black MP who served more than 24 years in the Royal Air Force has hit out at “racist” comments from Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin and Tory MP Robert Jenrick.
Calvin Bailey, the Labour MP for Leyton and Wanstead, said they were betraying their communities and that diversity defines our society.
Mr Jenrick came under fire after comments from earlier this year surfaced of him saying he “didn’t see another white face” on a visit to Birmingham and that he wanted Britain to be properly integrated. Ms Pochin faced criticism after saying “it drives me mad when I see adverts full of Black people, full of Asian people”.
According to the Guardian, Mr Jenrick told the Aldridge-Brownhills Conservative Association dinner in March: “I went to Handsworth in Birmingham the other day to do a video on litter and it was absolutely appalling. It’s as close as I’ve come to a slum in this country. But the other thing I noticed there was that it was one of the worst integrated places I’ve ever been to. In fact, in the hour and a half I was filming news there I didn’t see another white face.
“That’s not the kind of country I want to live in. I want to live in a country where people are properly integrated. It’s not about the colour of your skin or your faith, of course it isn’t. But I want people to be living alongside each other, not parallel lives. That’s not the right way we want to live as a country.”
Mr Bailey told The Mirror this weekend’s Remembrance Sunday will honour veterans who stood up for “dignity, unity, and unwavering optimism for the future”.
“As a Black British man and a veteran, I carry this day in my heart,” he said. “I served alongside people from all walks of life, united not by where we came from but by what we stood for.”
READ MORE: Stephen Lawrence’s brother hails David Lammy as first Black man to take PMQs
Mr Bailey said Remembrance Sunday is not just about looking back, adding: “It’s about asking ourselves what kind of country we want to be today. Do we honour the sacrifices of the past by building a more just society for our children?
“Do we press ahead with the renewal working people in this country desperately need to see? Or do we allow the politics of grievance to sow seeds of division?”
Mr Bailey continued: “That question has felt especially urgent of late, following the troubling comments made recently by opposition MPs. Speaking on national radio, Reform MP Sarah Pochin said it ‘drives [her] mad’ to see adverts ‘full of Black people, full of Asian people.’ She later claimed her words were ‘poorly phrased.’ But the damage was done.
“This follows the unearthing of comments made by Tory MP Robert Jenrick earlier this year, where he claimed on a visit to Birmingham that ‘he didn’t see another white face’ – adding ‘that’s not the kind of country I want to live in’. These are not just clumsy remarks. They are racist.”
The politician said it is the “privilege” of his life to serve his community as their MP, adding: “So, I know that when a fellow MP talks in this way, it’s not a slip – it’s a betrayal of the diverse community they are lucky to represent.
“Now more than ever we must remember that modern British society is not diminished by diversity – it is defined by it.
“From the Commonwealth soldiers who fought in two world wars, to the NHS workers who carried us through a pandemic, the people who Sarah Pochin and Robert Jenrick look down on have always been part of this nation’s story.”
Last month, Ms Pochin came under fire after saying “it drives me mad when I see adverts full of Black people, full of Asian people” in an appearance on Talk TV.
Amid a major backlash, she said she hadn’t meant to offend anyone and the comments were “phrased poorly”.
And at the Tory conference in October, it emerged that Mr Jenrick, the Shadow Justice Secretary, complained to Conservative activists that he “didn’t see another white face” on a visit to Birmingham in a leaked recording .
According to the Guardian, he told the Aldridge-Brownhills Conservative Association dinner in March: “I went to Handsworth in Birmingham the other day to do a video on litter and it was absolutely appalling. It’s as close as I’ve come to a slum in this country. But the other thing I noticed there was that it was one of the worst integrated places I’ve ever been to. In fact, in the hour and a half I was filming news there I didn’t see another white face.
“That’s not the kind of country I want to live in. I want to live in a country where people are properly integrated. It’s not about the colour of your skin or your faith, of course it isn’t. But I want people to be living alongside each other, not parallel lives. That’s not the right way we want to live as a country.”
Responding to Mr Bailey’s comments, a source close to Mr Jenrick said: “This is about having integrated communities. He seems to have fundamentally misunderstood the point for political effect, which the British people are absolutely sick of.”
Reform UK and Sarah Pochin were contacted for comment.
‘These are not just clumsy remarks – they are racist’
Labour MP Calvin Bailey writes for The Mirror:
This Remembrance Sunday, I will stand in silence with millions across the country to honour those who served our nation, as well as those who continue to do so today. It is a moment of solemn reflection, of gratitude and of unity.
We remember that the freedoms we enjoy today were hard-won by people of every background, every faith and every colour.
As a Black British man and a veteran, I carry this day in my heart. I served alongside people from all walks of life, united not by where we came from but by what we stood for. That same sense of duty guides me now in Parliament, where I serve my constituents with that same commitment to King and country.
Remembrance is not just about looking back. It’s about asking ourselves what kind of country we want to be today. Do we honour the sacrifices of the past by building a more just society for our children? Do we press ahead with the renewal working people in this country desperately need to see? Or do we allow the politics of grievance to sow seeds of division?
That question has felt especially urgent of late, following the troubling comments made recently by opposition MPs. Speaking on national radio, Reform MP Sarah Pochin said it “drives [her] mad” to see adverts “full of Black people, full of Asian people.” She later claimed her words were “poorly phrased.” But the damage was done.
This follows the unearthing of comments made by Tory MP Robert Jenrick earlier this year, where he claimed on a visit to Birmingham that “he didn’t see another white face” – adding “that’s not the kind of country I want to live in”.
These are not just clumsy remarks. They are racist. They expose an exclusionary view of British identity – reducing people to the colour of their skin, and judging their Britishness accordingly.
It is the privilege of my life to serve every member of community as an elected Member of Parliament, and it is a responsibility I do not take lightly. So, I know that when a fellow MP talks in this way, it’s not a slip – it’s a betrayal of the diverse community they are lucky to represent.
Now more than ever we must remember that modern British society is not diminished by diversity – it is defined by it. From the Commonwealth soldiers who fought in two world wars, to the NHS workers who carried us through a pandemic, the people who Sarah Pochin and Robert Jenrick look down on have always been part of this nation’s story.
I was proud to serve my country through a quarter century in the RAF. And I am proud to serve my country now in Parliament. But I will never stay silent when those who look like me are told – implicitly or explicitly – that we don’t belong.
This Remembrance Sunday, let us honour all who served by standing up for the values they fought for: dignity, unity, and unwavering optimism for the future.
Let us remember that the Britain so worth defending is one that sees all its people – not just some – as integral parts of our past, our present, and our future.
And let us press ahead with the work of national renewal, choosing decency over division, and progress over decline.
READ MORE: Join our Mirror politics WhatsApp group to get the latest updates from Westminster