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sábado, 6 de junho de 2026
K Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office has accused the U.S. Trump administration of "trying to interfere in our democracy" after U.S. Vice President JD Vance and the U.S. State Department waded into the political fallout surrounding the murder of British teenager Henry Nowak.
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Starmer
suggests US ‘trying to interfere in our democracy’ over Nowak claims
UK Prime
Minister Keir Starmer’s office has accused the U.S. Trump administration of
"trying to interfere in our democracy" after U.S. Vice President JD Vance
and the U.S. State Department waded into the political fallout surrounding the
murder of British teenager Henry Nowak.
The Core
Dispute
- The U.S. Accusation: In a post on X, U.S. Vice
President JD Vance blamed Nowak’s murder on a "mass invasion of
migrants" and "civilizational decline." Simultaneously, a
statement from the U.S. State Department—reposted by the U.S. Embassy in
London—claimed the case was a symptom of "two-tiered policing"
in the West.
- The UK Pushback: A spokesperson for 10 Downing
Street stated that the UK has seen "people trying to interfere in our
democracy and seeking to stir up division on our streets." Deputy
Prime Minister David Lammy explicitly rejected the "caricature"
of a two-tier justice system.
Background
on the Nowak Case
- The Tragedy: Henry Nowak, an 18-year-old
university student, was fatally stabbed in Southampton in December 2025 by
Vickrum Digwa. Digwa was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 21
years.
- The Police Controversy: At the crime scene, Digwa
falsely told police he was the victim of a racial attack. Newly released
bodycam footage showed Hampshire Police officers handcuffing a dying Nowak
while dismissing his pleas that he had been stabbed and could not breathe.
This footage triggered intense domestic debate and local protests.
- The Family's Wish: The Nowak family has explicitly
stated they do not want Henry's death used to fuel political hatred or
division. Downing Street emphasized that foreign commentators should
respect those wishes.
Broader
Political Fallout
- Elon Musk's Involvement: Prime Minister Starmer
previously accused X owner Elon Musk of "trying to whip up
division" after Musk posted dozens of times about the case, framing
it as systemic institutional bias against white people.
- Diplomatic Friction: The Liberal Democrats have
formally called for U.S. Ambassador Warren Stephens to be summoned over
the remarks. This public clash highlights escalating diplomatic friction
between the Starmer government and the Trump administration.
Starmer suggests US ‘trying to interfere in our democracy’ over Nowak claims
Starmer
suggests US ‘trying to interfere in our democracy’ over Nowak claims
Prime
minister’s office responds after JD Vance blames British teenager’s death on
mass migration
Rowena
Mason and Jamie Grierson
Fri 5 Jun
2026 20.12 BST
Keir Starmer has suggested the US is trying to interfere in
British democracy after JD Vance, the US vice-president, blamed the murder of
the British teenager Henry Nowak on mass migration.
The prime
minister’s office responded after the senior Republican politician claimed in a
post on X that Nowak would 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”.
Downing
Street did not name Vance directly but said its response to his comments was
that “in recent days we have seen people trying to interfere in our democracy
and seeking to stir up division on our streets”.
“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,” a spokesperson said.
“Our
politics should bring people together even in the most terrible of
circumstances. That is who we are as a country.”
There has
been a national outcry about Nowak’s murder as footage showed police officers
handcuffed him as he lay dying from stab wounds after his killer, Vickrum
Digwa, had falsely accused him of racist abuse. Digwa, a British-born Sikh, was
ultimately convicted of murder and jailed for life with a minimum of 21 years.
Nowak’s
family, who met Starmer on Thursday, asked that his death not be used to create
further division, hatred or tension. But since the conviction, rightwing US
figures have made several remarks about the case. The US state department, run
by Marco Rubio, portrayed the case as an example of the UK’s “civilisational
decline”.
In a post
on X, the department said: “Ideological conditioning and two-tiered policing
are glaring symptoms of civilizational decline. They must be rejected across
the West. The United States sends our condolences to the family of Henry Nowak
and the people of the United Kingdom at this troubling time.”
Subsequently,
Starmer said the police’s response was under review but rejected the US state
department’s characterisation of UK policing. He told LBC: “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 also said the UK must not shy away from asking
difficult questions of the police.
The
Liberal Democrats have called for the US ambassador to the UK to be summoned
over what they called “flagrant foreign interference that seeks to fan the
flames of division”. The party’s leader, Ed Davey, said the Trump
administration was “attacking our democracy, not in secret, but openly on
social media”.
“Starmer
needs to show some backbone and call this out today. We can’t turn a blind eye
to this blatant interference any longer,” Davey said.
No 10,
however, said the relationship with the US remained “incredibly strong” despite
the difference of view on policing. It declined to be drawn on whether the US
would be rebuked in any diplomatic conversations.
Nowak’s
murder has been claimed by some as evidence of two-tier policing in the UK –
the argument that some groups of people are dealt with more harshly than others
for ideological reasons.
The owner
of X, Elon Musk, and the Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, are among those to
have claimed the circumstances of Nowak’s death in Southampton were evidence of
bias against white people. Both have in turn been accused of exploiting the
teenager’s death.
David
Lammy, the UK’s deputy prime minister, told Sky News on Friday that he welcomed
the US government’s condolences to the Nowak family but said he did not
recognise “this caricature of Britain having a two-tier criminal justice
system”.
Starmer
on Thursday accused Musk of “interfering in our politics” and attempting to
create division.
Musk is a
regular poster of ethnonationalist content and a supporter of Restore Britain,
the far-right party set up by Rupert Lowe, a former Reform MP. He has posted
for weeks on his social media platform about Nowak’s murder, often using
far-right themes and talking points.
The
police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, is examining the
behaviour of the officers who handcuffed Nowak after he had been fatally
stabbed.
Starmer
met Nowak’s family at Downing Street on Thursday to discuss a response to the
actions of Hampshire police, saying afterwards he had promised to take
“whatever action is required to right the wrongs in this case”.
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