First Farage, now Jenrick, the BBC pandering to the extremists does nothing to dial down the temperature

Robert Jenrick has some brass neck contending with the widely-held belief that the latest of his poisonous remarks, consistently demonising migrants, is xenophobic. 

The BBC this week issued an apology after the Shadow Justice Secretary complained that a critic had been handed airtime to push back.

And when the state broadcaster caves in to men like Jenrick, we are all in trouble.

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It was theologian and author Dr Krish Kandiah, speaking on the BBC’s Thought for the Day who spoke for many - including the ordinary people across the country at risk from the increasingly inflammatory language and people platformed by broadcasters who should know better.

Kandian used the word “xenophobia” in relation to an article in which Jenrick said: "I certainly don't want my children to share a neighbourhood with men from backward countries who broke into Britain illegally and about whom we know next to nothing.”

Kandian said: "These words echo a fear many have absorbed – fear of the stranger. The technical name for this is xenophobia. All phobias are, by definition, irrational. Nevertheless, they have a huge impact.”

Jenrick posted online in response: "On BBC Radio 4 this morning listeners were told that if you're concerned about the threat of illegal migrants to your kids, you're racist. Wrong. You're a good parent.”

The BBC’s position was that it was apologising to Jenrick for the inclusion of an opinion in a place where it was inappropriate, not passing judgement on the rights or wrongs of the opinion.

But when is pushing back against hate ever inappropriate?

What message does it send when the man maligning millions of people about whom he knows nothing, comes out as the good guy?

And what world are we living in when we cannot use the words (Kandian let him off lightly in my opinion) that accurately sum up yet another of Jenrick’s attempts to stir up division.

Here’s a glimpse at his recent body of work.

There was the time in January he used the sexual exploitation of young girls to blanket-condemn “hundreds of thousands of people from alien cultures who possess medieval attitudes towards women”.

Describe one of your colleagues’ countries at work as medieval with an alien culture and see how far you get before you are disciplined.

Twelve months ago Jenrick was vilified for saying police should “immediately arrest” any protesters shouting “Allahu Akbar”, the Arabic phrase meaning God is great.

In response, Conservative party chair Baroness Sayeeda Warsi said: "This language from Jenrick is more of his usual nasty divisive rhetoric.”

Labour MPs Naz Shah, the MP for Bradford West, called Mr Jenrick's comments "textbook Islamophobia”.

His comments "literally equate every Muslim in the world with extremism" she argued.

In a social media post she said: “Imagine in this climate, either being that ignorant or deliberately trying to stigmatise all Muslims. He should apologise and speak to Muslim communities and learn more about our faith.”

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: “People like Robert Jenrick have been stirring up some of the problems that we’ve seen in our communities.” 

Then there was the time last October the Shadow Chancellor insisted Britain’s former colonies should be thankful for the legacy of the empire.

Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, lawyer and activist posted on X: “The ingratitude of this political illiterate @RobertJenrick. Britain would be nothing without colonised African & Asian nations. Its Industrial Revolution & Capitalist Wealth were built on the blood, sweat, forced labour & lives of our forebears.

“The ‘inheritance’ it left were the resources it stole, lands it pillaged, genocides committed, division of nations, systemic rape & collective punishment committed in the name of its racist British empire – a genocidal & thieving empire that still profits off former colonies to date.”

Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy, who chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group on African reparations, said: “Enslavement and colonialism were not ‘gifts’ but imposed systems that brutally exploited people, extracted wealth, and dismantled societies, all for the benefit of Britain.”

So for the BBC to apologise to Jenrick, even on a technicality, sums up how detached from reality the broadcaster finds itself. 

In any case, what does Jenrick have to be upset about?

Firstly the context. As we know there is precedent for politicians using language like him to insult, vilify entire groups of people and stir up hatred.

In 1964, former Tory MP Peter Griffiths was elected to Smethwick, north west Birmingham, on the slogan “If you want a n***** for a neighbour, vote Labour.”

Griffiths refused to disown it, claiming he regarded it as “a manifestation of popular feeling.”

Second, the framing. Jenrick’s Tory party closed off all the legal routes into this country in order to deliberately  frame those arriving as illegals.

To suggest everyone arriving - including families - as a threat is a throwback to the days of Griffiths.

Third, the BBC is the channel that ordered one of its non-white presenters to, humiliatingly, apologise for stating that Nigel Farage had been using, in a Reform UK speech, his ‘customary inflammatory language’ - even though he actually had been using his customary inflammatory language.

The Beeb is also the channel which had its own staff publicly rebel after Breakfast show presenter Naga Munchetty was found to have breached the corporation’s editorial guidelines in criticising US President Donald Trump for telling black politicians to “go home”.

Munchetty was ruled to have overstepped by accusing the US president of racism. 

Angry colleagues at the time pointed out that the complaints unit is dominated by older white men with no real grasp of the way in which Trump’s words impact ordinary people.

It looks very much as though that unit is still crammed to bursting with privileged middle-class high earners with their heads in the sand.

Because if Jenrick’s remarks don’t qualify as xenophobic then what does?  

The Beeb needs to pick a side, because if you are non-white there have been a number of decisions from the broadcasters which do not help the fight against those who wish to divide us.

Remember the time when it broadcast live, in its entirety, that repugnant, 2022 party conference speech by then-Home Secretary Suella Braverman, packed with lies and “hurricane of migrants” rhetoric.

The criticism of the Beeb’s decision to hand a season ticket to Farage for its flagship political debate show Question Time, long before he was ever elected to Clacton, is well documented.

And there remains a feeling that the broadcaster is happier to chase controversy than play its part in calming tensions.

It needs to answer that charge urgently. Because to pander to extremists is simply not good enough.

Ends