Downing Street has rejected the Trump administration’s criticism of “two-tier policing” in the UK following the murder of teenager Henry Nowak. The US State Department had offered condolences to Nowak’s family while condemning what it described as “ideological conditioning and two-tiered policing” in Britain.
Number 10 said it did not recognise the State Department’s position, echoing comments from Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, who earlier told Sky News he did not accept “this caricature of Britain having a two-tier criminal justice system”. The Liberal Democrats called the US intervention “flagrant foreign interference” and demanded the US ambassador be summoned.
Despite the disagreement, Downing Street insisted the UK-US relationship remained “incredibly strong” and declined to say whether the US would be rebuked diplomatically. The row comes after Elon Musk and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage used Nowak’s death to claim bias against white people, accusations they have been accused of exploiting.
Nowak, 18, was handcuffed by Hampshire police as he lay dying from stab wounds after his killer, Vickrum Digwa, falsely accused him of racist abuse. Digwa was jailed for life with a minimum of 21 years. The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating the officers’ actions.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer met Nowak’s family on Thursday and promised to “right the wrongs” in the case. Earlier, he accused Musk of “interfering in our politics”. On Tuesday night, far-right agitators attacked police in Southampton during a protest over Nowak’s death, injuring 11 officers and a police dog.
