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UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has implicitly criticised Washington for what his office described as "attempts to interfere" in British democratic discourse, after US Vice President JD Vance linked the murder of British teenager Henry Nowak to what he called "civilisational decline" and a failure to halt the "mass invasion of migrants".
The response came after Vance linked Nowak's killing by a Sikh man to migration in a post on X.
"Henry Nowak died the same way a civilization dies: abandoned, handcuffed by authorities who neither trusted nor cared for him, and accused of hate crimes he did not commit. Each time a life like his is lost, the proper response — the only response — is righteous anger," he said in a post on X.
Responding to the remarks, a spokesperson for Starmer said the victim's family had expressed a wish that his death not be used to fuel division or hatred.
"We should respect their (Nowak family's) wishes," the spokesperson said. "Even in the most terrible circumstances, our politics should bring people together. That is who we are as a country," they were quoted as saying by news agency Reuters.
The Downing Street, without naming Vance, said there had been attempts "to interfere in our democracy and seeking to stir up division on our streets".
"In recent days we have seen people trying to interfere in our democracy and seeking to stir up division on our streets," PM Starmer's spokesperson said, according to The Guardian.
WHO WAS HENRY NOWAK?
Nowak, 18, was fatally stabbed in Southampton last year following an altercation in which he was falsely accused of a racist attack. Earlier this week, 23-year-old Vickrum Digwa, a Sikh man, was convicted of his murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Police bodycam footage from the incident showed officers attending the scene as Nowak lay dying and pleading for help, raising questions in British media over the initial handling of the case and why his account was not acted upon in time.
The case has triggered intense debate in Britain, with populist leader Nigel Farage and tech billionaire Elon Musk amplifying claims of “two-tier policing” and alleging bias in how authorities respond to racial incidents.
Earlier this week, Starmer directly urged Musk to stop commenting on British politics after the X owner repeatedly posted about the case, suggesting police treatment of suspects varies based on race.
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Published On:
Jun 6, 2026 12:02 IST
