Henry Nowak Death: Ministers Clash Over Police Conduct Claims After Bodycam Footage
The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has urged calm and called for the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) to investigate the death of Henry Nowak, after body camera footage revealed police handcuffed the gravely wounded teenager following a stabbing. Nowak had informed officers he had been stabbed and was struggling to breathe, yet was apprehended based on a false claim of racial abuse from his assailant, Vickrum Digwa.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described the footage as 'harrowing' and expressed revulsion. However, senior Conservative and Reform UK figures have utilised the incident to assert that the UK operates a 'two-tier policing' system, where ethnic minorities are prioritised. Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, criticised police training post-Black Lives Matter, stating officers are now 'looking at the colour of your skin when they're deciding how to treat you'.
Reform leader Nigel Farage went further on social media, alleging 'anti-white prejudice' and calling for 'pure cold rage', suggesting 'white lives matter just about as much as black lives'. Sir Keir and Ms Badenoch have both condemned Farage's rhetoric, with Sir Keir stating it was 'completely wrong to use this to try and create division'.
Ms Mahmood, acknowledging the video as 'disturbing and tragic', rejected 'political grandstanding' and cautioned against a 'dangerous undercurrent' of threats against police officers following the case. She stressed the IOPC's role in determining the facts and any broader systemic issues.
Concurrently, the Attorney General's office is reviewing Vickrum Digwa's 21-year minimum life sentence, following 'multiple requests' to consider if it was unduly lenient. A decision on whether to refer the sentence to the Court of Appeal for review is expected within 28 days.
