Baroness Doreen Lawrence has condemned comments by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch linking the murder of Henry Nowak to the legacy of her son Stephen Lawrence, warning against rolling back progress on racial equality.
Speaking in the House of Lords, Lady Lawrence said politicians should not use her son’s name to justify reforms. She said: “When my son was murdered, there was nobody standing up and asking for judgment to happen for him. And the mere fact that the leader of the Opposition can use my son’s name in referring to reform – it took 20 years and more for anybody to understand the murder of my son.”
Her remarks followed a debate on policing after 18-year-old Henry Nowak was stabbed and later handcuffed by officers as he lay dying in Southampton on December 3, 2025. His killer, Vickrum Digwa, 23, claimed he had been the victim of a racist attack.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council has announced a review of anti-racism guidance, which currently states a “commitment to racial equity” and notes this “does not mean treating everyone ‘the same’ or being ‘colour blind’”. Some Conservative peers called for the guidance to be scrapped, with Lord Davies of Gower saying “all instances of identity politics must be consigned to the dustbin of history”.
Home Office minister Lord Hanson of Flint said the Government would reflect on police training, adding: “The police still have a sacred duty to police without fear or favour. Everyone in this country is equal before the law.”
Lady Lawrence, a Labour peer, said many peers had “no idea what race equality means” and argued that the progress made since the Macpherson inquiry into her son’s murder had created “a much better equality for all in this country”.
