Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on Thursday accused tech billionaire Elon Musk of attempting to stoke division in Britain over the murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak, as political leaders reacted to bodycam footage showing police handcuffing the teenager as he lay dying.
The footage, released after Vickrum Digwa, 23, was sentenced to life in prison for murder, triggered violent protests in Southampton and a wave of political commentary, with Musk and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage criticizing police conduct while the victim’s family appealed for calm.
Digwa was jailed on Monday for life with a minimum of 21 years for stabbing Nowak to death. After the sentencing, body camera footage emerged showing police restraining Nowak with handcuffs as he lay dying from his injuries. The images prompted public outcry and demonstrations in Southampton.
Posting on X on Tuesday, Musk wrote: “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.” He criticized what he called “legacy mainstream media” for what he described as silence over the case, comparing the coverage to that given to George Floyd.
Speaking during a visit to York on Thursday, Starmer told reporters that Musk was “interfering in our politics in the last few days, trying to whip up division – that is not who we are in Britain.” The prime minister said Britain was a country of “reasonable, tolerant people” and noted that Nowak’s family had appealed for calm.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch met Nowak’s family on Thursday morning, posting on X that she praised their courage. “They have asked that we work across political parties and religions to rebuild trust in the police,” she wrote. Badenoch added the country must be prepared to “examine, carefully and seriously, religious practices or exemptions that permit the carrying of dangerous weapons in public.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage released a video on Tuesday saying: “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.” During Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Farage repeated his claim that anti-racism guidelines for police had led to different ethnic groups being treated differently.
Starmer responded sharply in the Commons, telling MPs: “A grieving family have asked us not to respond in the way that the leader of Reform has responded. 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. 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.”
After Digwa’s sentencing, Nowak’s father, Mark, spoke outside court, saying: “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.”
Starmer said the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), is investigating the conduct of the officers involved, and said the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) guidance on race was being reviewed as a result of the case. Asked whether he supported Conservative calls for a full misconduct investigation, Starmer 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.” He called on all politicians to listen to the family’s appeal for calm and “show the leadership that’s needed here.”