Prime Minister Keir Starmer accused MP Nigel Farage in Parliament on Wednesday of stoking anger over the murder of Henry Nowak and exploiting the tragedy for political purposes following at protest in Southampton.
The confrontation took place during Prime Minister’s Questions, where Farage renewed allegations of “two-tier policing” in Britain just hours after protests were staged outside Southampton police station over body cam footage showing police treatment and arrest of dying Henry Nowak. Starmer responded by condemning the unrest and directly linking Farage’s rhetoric to calls for “rage” in the aftermath of the case.
The dispute comes days after Vickrum Digwa was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years for fatally stabbing the 18-year-old student. Following the attack, Digwa falsely told police he had been the victim of racism. The weapon he used to attack Nowak was a ceremonial blade he is permitted to carry for religious reasons.
In his opening remarks, Starmer praised Nowak's family for showing “extraordinary dignity” and condemned those involved in the violent protests in Southampton.
“But no matter the pain we feel," he said, "there is no justification for more violence and disorder. The attacks directed towards police officers in Southampton last night were disgraceful and completely unacceptable."
“This is a time for serious work, not rage. Let me be clear. We will ensure that anyone found engaging in disorder meets the full force of the law, as we have done before.”
The unrest followed the “Justice for Henry” demonstration outside Southampton police station. Protesters gathered to voice their total rejection of how the case was handles, with some accusing authorities of two-tier policing, meaning one set of rules for white people and a more lenient set for black and brown people.
Henry Nowak was handcuffed and arrested while critically injured after the stabbing. He told officers he had been stabbed and could not breathe, which was confirmed in footage released by the police station.
On Tuesday, Farage delivered what he described as an “emergency address to the nation,” arguing the case was evidence of “two-tier policing” and urging a response of “pure cold rage.”
During Wednesday’s Commons exchange, Farage referenced the previous night's unrest, and "the anger" expressed by protesters. MPs shouted for Farage to condemn the violent protests.
Farage said the anger expressed by protesters "is in danger of getting considerably worse... If the public lose trust in being treated fairly by the police, can he take some action and end this divisive practice of two-tier policing, and make sure all British citizens are treated the same?"
Farage pointed to police anti-racism guidance during his remarks, arguing that the guidance instructs officers to treat people from different ethnic backgrounds differently. He said the policy is "clear and written down in ink" and claimed police officers "must treat different ethnic groups in different ways."
The issue has drawn renewed scrutiny after the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) said Tuesday that it would review the wording of a document outlining anti-racism commitments. The review came after concerns were raised by Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp.
The document, titled "Police Anti-Racism Commitment," was published last year as part of the Police Race Action Plan. It outlines a series of goals, including increasing transparency around policing decisions and ensuring police personnel feel able to challenge racism within the service.
The most scrutinized part comes from the document's segment that calls for altering "policing outcomes." The guidance states that this "does not mean treating everyone ‘the same’ or being ‘colour blind’ (racial equality)."
The document claims that the objective is "Producing equality of policing outcomes for people from different ethnic groups by responding to individuals and communities according to their specific needs, circumstances and experiences, with understanding that these will be racialised and with the aim of reducing harm."
The Police Race Action Plan was first announced in 2020 and published in 2022. It cites policing's "difficult history in its relationships with Black communities" and specifically the death of George Floyd in the US.
Starmer, who has taken strong standas againts police brutality in the past and even took a knee for Floyd rejected the accusation. “I don’t believe there’s two-tier policing in this country and I am shocked that he pretends to have respect for Henry’s family and then acts in this way,” he said.
He then accused Farage of disregarding the wishes of Henry’s family: “My response, and the response of others, has been focussed on the lessons to be learned so we can deliver justice. His [Farage’s] response has been to appeal for rage. Rage. That’s his response to a father who’s lost his son and asked for that not to happen.
“Exploiting this tragedy to create grievance and division would be wrong in any circumstances but to do it when the family is explicitly saying ‘please don’t’ is unforgivable. It shows exactly who he is.”
The confrontation took place during Prime Minister’s Questions, where Farage renewed allegations of “two-tier policing” in Britain just hours after protests were staged outside Southampton police station over body cam footage showing police treatment and arrest of dying Henry Nowak. Starmer responded by condemning the unrest and directly linking Farage’s rhetoric to calls for “rage” in the aftermath of the case.
The dispute comes days after Vickrum Digwa was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years for fatally stabbing the 18-year-old student. Following the attack, Digwa falsely told police he had been the victim of racism. The weapon he used to attack Nowak was a ceremonial blade he is permitted to carry for religious reasons.
In his opening remarks, Starmer praised Nowak's family for showing “extraordinary dignity” and condemned those involved in the violent protests in Southampton.
“But no matter the pain we feel," he said, "there is no justification for more violence and disorder. The attacks directed towards police officers in Southampton last night were disgraceful and completely unacceptable."
“This is a time for serious work, not rage. Let me be clear. We will ensure that anyone found engaging in disorder meets the full force of the law, as we have done before.”
The unrest followed the “Justice for Henry” demonstration outside Southampton police station. Protesters gathered to voice their total rejection of how the case was handles, with some accusing authorities of two-tier policing, meaning one set of rules for white people and a more lenient set for black and brown people.
Henry Nowak was handcuffed and arrested while critically injured after the stabbing. He told officers he had been stabbed and could not breathe, which was confirmed in footage released by the police station.
On Tuesday, Farage delivered what he described as an “emergency address to the nation,” arguing the case was evidence of “two-tier policing” and urging a response of “pure cold rage.”
During Wednesday’s Commons exchange, Farage referenced the previous night's unrest, and "the anger" expressed by protesters. MPs shouted for Farage to condemn the violent protests.
Farage said the anger expressed by protesters "is in danger of getting considerably worse... If the public lose trust in being treated fairly by the police, can he take some action and end this divisive practice of two-tier policing, and make sure all British citizens are treated the same?"
Farage pointed to police anti-racism guidance during his remarks, arguing that the guidance instructs officers to treat people from different ethnic backgrounds differently. He said the policy is "clear and written down in ink" and claimed police officers "must treat different ethnic groups in different ways."
The issue has drawn renewed scrutiny after the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) said Tuesday that it would review the wording of a document outlining anti-racism commitments. The review came after concerns were raised by Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp.
The document, titled "Police Anti-Racism Commitment," was published last year as part of the Police Race Action Plan. It outlines a series of goals, including increasing transparency around policing decisions and ensuring police personnel feel able to challenge racism within the service.
The most scrutinized part comes from the document's segment that calls for altering "policing outcomes." The guidance states that this "does not mean treating everyone ‘the same’ or being ‘colour blind’ (racial equality)."
The document claims that the objective is "Producing equality of policing outcomes for people from different ethnic groups by responding to individuals and communities according to their specific needs, circumstances and experiences, with understanding that these will be racialised and with the aim of reducing harm."
The Police Race Action Plan was first announced in 2020 and published in 2022. It cites policing's "difficult history in its relationships with Black communities" and specifically the death of George Floyd in the US.
Starmer, who has taken strong standas againts police brutality in the past and even took a knee for Floyd rejected the accusation. “I don’t believe there’s two-tier policing in this country and I am shocked that he pretends to have respect for Henry’s family and then acts in this way,” he said.
He then accused Farage of disregarding the wishes of Henry’s family: “My response, and the response of others, has been focussed on the lessons to be learned so we can deliver justice. His [Farage’s] response has been to appeal for rage. Rage. That’s his response to a father who’s lost his son and asked for that not to happen.
“Exploiting this tragedy to create grievance and division would be wrong in any circumstances but to do it when the family is explicitly saying ‘please don’t’ is unforgivable. It shows exactly who he is.”
