Starmer accuses US of 'interfering in our democracy' after Vance and Musk seize on Henry Nowak murder

The murder and the police response

Henry Nowak, an 18-year-old student at the University of Southampton, was stabbed to death on 3 December 2025 by Vickrum Digwa. Digwa, a 23-year-old British-born Sikh, falsely claimed he had been racially abused and acted in self-defence. Bodycam footage released this week showed police officers handcuffing Nowak as he lay dying from stab wounds, begging for help and telling them he could not breathe. Digwa was convicted of murder and jailed for life with a minimum of 21 years. Hampshire's chief constable has apologised, and three officers are under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, while a fourth has left the force.

US officials and Musk intervene

On Friday, US Vice President JD Vance posted on X that Nowak would still be alive "if the last few generations of European elites had stood their ground against the politics of self-hatred and the mass invasion of migrants, many of whom despise the West and the people who love it." The US State Department, led by Marco Rubio, had already weighed in on Thursday, calling the case a symptom of "civilisational decline" and stating: "Ideological conditioning and two-tiered policing are glaring symptoms of civilizational decline. They must be rejected across the West." Elon Musk, owner of X, posted multiple times about the case, writing: "Send the video to everyone you know showing how heinously Nowak was treated by the police in his dying moments and how the police cravenly kowtowed to his murderer."

Downing Street's response

A Downing Street spokesperson did not name Vance directly but said: "In recent days we have seen people trying to interfere in our democracy and seeking to stir up division on our streets." The statement added that the Nowak family had asked that Henry's death not be used to create further division, hatred or tension. "Our politics should bring people together even in the most terrible of circumstances. That is who we are as a country." Prime Minister Keir Starmer had already accused Musk on Thursday of "trying to whip up division" in the UK.

The Nowak family are grieving after Henry's horrific murder. They have said they do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension. We should be respecting their wishes.

Starmer rejects 'two-tier policing' claim

Speaking to LBC, Starmer rejected the US State Department's characterisation of UK policing, saying: "It is really important that we are very, very clear, policing without fear or favour, whatever anybody else says, and wherever they're saying it from, whichever country in the world." He acknowledged that the police response was under review but insisted the UK must not shy away from asking difficult questions. The Liberal Democrats called for the US ambassador to be summoned over what leader Ed Davey described as "flagrant foreign interference that seeks to fan the flames of division."

It is really important that we are very, very clear, policing without fear or favour, whatever anybody else says, and wherever they're saying it from, whichever country in the world.

The wider political fallout

The murder has become a flashpoint in a transatlantic culture war. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage called for "pure, cold rage" in a video released after the police footage, while Rupert Lowe of Restore Britain also made comments designed to inflame emotions. The Guardian noted that the US State Department had previously hosted far-right provocateur Tommy Robinson and has portrayed the UK as "an ideological prison that celebrates censorship." Some US diplomats reportedly argue they are simply speaking their conscience, as senior Labour figures including David Lammy did after the killing of George Floyd in 2020. Violent protests erupted in Southampton on Tuesday following the release of the bodycam footage, though they have not been repeated.

We all need to resist attempts like this to politicise Henry Nowak's death and divide our country - whether they come from MAGA politicians like Vance or their cronies here in the UK.