Sir Keir Starmer has accused tech billionaire Elon Musk of “trying to whip up division” over the murder of Henry Nowak.
There were violent protests in Southampton following the release of bodycam footage showing police handcuffing 18-year-old Nowak as he lay dying. His killer Vickrum Digwa had claimed he had been the victim of a racist attack.
The footage of Nowak’s final moments has prompted a wave of political reaction in the UK, as well as X owner Musk criticising the police treatment of the teenager.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called for work across political parties to rebuild trust in the police, having met Nowak’s family on Thursday, and Sir Keir will meet them later.
“Legacy mainstream media, same ones who wrote about George Floyd millions of times, are dead silent about Nowak.”
Floyd died of a heart attack caused by neck compression, caused by a police officer handcuffing him before kneeling on his neck, and his murder sparked global protests against racism and police brutality.
In a visit to York on Thursday, Sir Keir accused Musk of interfering in British politics and stressed the grieving family had appealed for calm.
He said: “We need to also assert who we are as a country, because Musk, again, has been interfering in our politics in the last few days, trying to whip up division – that is not who we are in Britain.
“In Britain, we are reasonable, tolerant people.
“When we have a terrible case like Henry’s case, Henry Nowak, we react calmly, as his family have done.”
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey also criticised Musk, accusing him of trying to destabilise British society from afar.
“Musk’s actions are a coordinated campaign of foreign interference in British democracy by a rogue American tech billionaire who seems hellbent on injecting poison directly into our domestic politics.
“Let’s not forget this is a man who has repeatedly used his platform to incite violence on Britain’s streets.”
On Thursday, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch posted on X that she had met Nowak’s mother, father and stepmother, and praised their courage.
She wrote: “They have asked that we work across political parties and religions to rebuild trust in the police. That trust has been broken because of what happened, and I agree with them on that.
“We must also be prepared to examine, carefully and seriously, religious practices or exemptions that permit the carrying of dangerous weapons in public, and other activities that are not conducive to the public good. We also need to examine where the law needs to change.”
Digwa, 23, was jailed for life with a minimum of 21 years for murder on Monday, after which Henry Nowak’s father, Mark, appealed for calm outside the court.
He said: “We do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension. We want his story to make our streets safer for everyone.”
Sir Keir said the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), was investigating the officers’ behaviour and the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) guidance around race was being looked at as a result of the case.
Asked whether he supported calls from the Conservatives for a full misconduct investigation to be launched against the police officers involved, Sir Keir said: “I think it’s right that there may need to be changes and we shouldn’t shy away from that, not for one moment.
“But how we conduct ourselves now as politicians is really important.
“And I call on all politicians, all politicians, to just listen again to what the family are asking of us, which is to remain calm, to show the leadership that’s needed here and not allow this case to be used to whip up division.”
There were angry exchanges at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, where Sir Keir accused Nigel Farage of exploiting Nowak’s death.
The Reform UK leader had said in a video clip released on Tuesday: “Henry’s family have responded to this in just the most extraordinarily dignified way. But I suggest the rest of us respond to this with pure, cold rage.”
The following day, Farage was heckled by opposition MPs calling on him to condemn the protests in Southampton, as he repeated his claim that anti-racism guidelines for police had led to different ethnic groups being treated in different ways at PMQs.
Responding, Sir Keir accused Farage of disregarding pleas from Nowak’s family that his death should not be used to stoke division in society.
“A grieving family have asked us not to respond in the way that the leader of Reform has responded,” he told MPs. “My response – and the response of others, to be fair – has focused on the lessons to be learned, so we can deliver justice.
“His response has been to appeal for rage. Rage – that’s his response to a father who’s lost his son and asked for that not to happen.
“Exploiting this tragedy to create grievance and division would be wrong in any circumstances. But to do it when the family are expressly saying ‘please don’t’ is unforgivable. It shows exactly who he is.”
On Wednesday evening, Farage posted another video, where he appeared to row back from his comments, instead focusing on his claim that white people are not being treated fairly or equally under the law.
He said: “The point that I was trying to make is that police forces themselves have become so obsessed with DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] and with not treating everybody equally, namely treating people differently if they’re white as opposed to minority ethnic groups.
“But one thing I did achieve was to break the wall of silence, because we did not have senior political figures speaking up in outrage about what had happened.”
On Thursday, former Reform MP and now leader of rival party Restore, Rupert Lowe, posted on X warning his supporters not to get involved in attacks on police.
He said: “Do not attack the police. Be smart. Stay calm.”
