Deputy Prime Minister of United Kingdom, David Lammy, has revealed that he personally told United States Vice-President, JD Vance, that he was “wrong” to link the murder of British teenager Henry Nowak to immigration, as tensions grew over comments that have sparked political controversy on both sides of the Atlantic.
According to David Lammy, he spoke with JD Vance after the US Vice-President suggested that the fatal stabbing of the 18-year-old student was evidence of Europe’s failure to resist “the mass invasion of migrants.”
The intervention comes as Downing Street accused figures seeking to “interfere in our democracy” and inflame divisions following renewed public debate over the circumstances surrounding Nowak’s death.
Speaking during a media interview, UK’s Deputy Prime Minister stated that he challenged Vance directly during a “robust” but respectful conversation.
“This has got nothing to do with mass migration. This young man was a Brit. Let’s be clear about that, and I said, ‘Look, Mr Vice-President, you’re wrong about this,’ and it’s also the case that actually murder is coming down in the United Kingdom.”
David Lammy
The Deputy Prime Minister stressed that the legal and institutional processes surrounding the case were already underway and should be allowed to continue without political interference.
He also pointed to ongoing reviews involving police conduct, sentencing considerations and oversight bodies, arguing that the case should not be used to advance broader political narratives about migration.
This controversy stems from comments JD Vance made on social media after bodycam footage emerged showing police officers handcuffing Nowak as he lay dying after being stabbed in Southampton.
In a post on X, Vance described the killing as “tragic as it is enraging” and argued 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.”
He further claimed the teenager had died “the same way a civilisation dies: abandoned and handcuffed by authorities who neither trusted nor cared for him.”
However, the claims quickly drew criticism after it was confirmed that Nowak’s killer, Vickrum Digwa, was born in the United Kingdom and held British citizenship.
Digwa was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years after being convicted of murdering Nowak. The court heard that Digwa used a 21-centimetre blade, which he claimed he carried for religious reasons connected to his Sikh faith.
Following the stabbing, Digwa falsely told officers that he had been the victim of a racist attack and had acted in self-defence.
However, bodycam footage later showed police officers initially restraining Nowak while he was critically injured, a development that has triggered widespread scrutiny of police actions and fuelled calls for further investigation.
Downing Street Rejects Vance Comments as Row Over Teen’s Death Grows
British government moved swiftly to distance itself from Vance’s remarks. A Downing Street spokesperson criticised attempts to use the tragedy to deepen political divisions, noting that, the government’s focus remained on supporting the family and ensuring accountability through established legal processes.
“People are trying to interfere in our democracy and seeking to stir up division. The Nowak family have said they do not want his death to be used to create further division.
“Our politics should bring people together even in the most terrible of circumstances. That is who we are as a country.”
A Downing Street spokesperson
Following Digwa’s sentencing, Nowak’s father, Mark, urged the public not to allow his son’s death to become a source of further conflict. “We do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension,” he stated.
Moreover, Children and Families Minister, Josh MacAlister, appeared to criticise Vance’s intervention, warning against importing “toxic politics” into Britain.
“There are people who are trying to import that kind of toxic politics here into the UK and I don’t want to have anything to do with it. I don’t think we need advice from American politicians on how to have effective policing here in the UK.”
Josh MacAlister
Meanwhile, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has called for an independent rapid review into the circumstances surrounding Nowak’s death and the police response that followed.
In a letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Badenoch argued that serious questions remained unanswered.
“The questions raised about what followed are of profound public importance. They concern not only what happened to Henry but overall public confidence in policing and the ability of our institutions to protect those they exist to serve.”
Kemi Badenoch
The escalating disagreement coincides with a sensitive period in UK-US relations, which have been strained recently due to differences in foreign policy, especially Britain’s refusal to take part in US military actions against Iran.
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