The chairman of the Conservative Party has defended Robert Jenrick’s controversial comments about mono-ethnic communities, saying people are “uncomfortable” with areas that are not integrated.

In a recording from March, Mr Jenrick said that the inner-city area of Handsworth in Birmingham “was one of the worst integrated places I’ve ever been to” and that “in the hour and a half I was filming news there I didn’t see another white face”.

Mr Hollinrake stressed that the issue is about culture, not skin colour, and highlighted examples including cousin marriage, Sharia courts, and hate preachers.

Speaking on GB News, Kevin Hollinrake said: “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.

“We want to make sure we have a diverse community. That’s good, but it should be integrated. And I think there are lots of communities around the UK that are not integrated.

“This isn’t isolated to Birmingham, and there are other communities. You go to Dewsbury, you go to Bradford, you go to Leicester, and it’s not just about skin colour. This is about culture.

“This isn’t isolated to Birmingham, and there are other communities.

“You go to Dewsbury, you go to Bradford, you go to Leicester, and it’s not just about skin colour. This is about culture.

“We don’t want a situation where people are living separate lives, parallel lives, with a completely different culture and different kind of society.”

“He said it wasn’t to do with his skin colour. How can that then be racist?

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“I don’t think that’s right at all. He said very clearly, this wasn’t about skin colour. This is about culture.

“We see it around different communities in different parts of the UK, where you’re seeing a different culture emerging, deliberately isolated, around things like cousin marriage and things like Sharia courts and things like hate preachers.

“You are seeing this and we want a community, our communities to be properly integrated. That’s what he was saying. And I absolutely agree with that.

“There are, of course, when you say something, when you say something like that, where you confront these issues rather than running away from them, some people will say that’s outrageous.

“I don’t think that’s outrageous. I think it’s merely stating the facts.”

Asked if Mr Jenrick would lead the Conservatives into the next general election, he said: “We’ve got a great leader in Kemi Badenoch, she’ll be the leader into the next election. One thing that we are completely distinct from any other party, we have an excellent team.

“Rob’s an excellent member of that team. If you look at all the other parties, including Reform, of course, is a complete one man-band.

“We’ve got a great team. That’s what really builds success, and I’m delighted to be part of it.”