Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has criticised Nigel Farage for urging the public to respond to the murder of Henry Nowak with “pure cold rage”, calling it “the wrong reaction”. Speaking in a pooled TV interview, Starmer said the Reform UK leader was “completely wrong to use this to try and create division”, especially as the victim’s family had asked for the situation not to be inflamed.
Starmer also revealed he felt “sick” after watching bodycam footage of Nowak being handcuffed as he lay dying. “I have seen the body cam footage, it’s harrowing, and I have to say, as a father of a 17-year-old boy, I felt sick watching it,” he said. He stressed that the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) should be allowed to complete its inquiry into how officers handled the case before any further action is taken.
When asked about Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch’s call for a Macpherson-style inquiry into whether anti-racist culture in policing has gone too far, Starmer said he was not ruling it out but emphasised the need to wait for the IOPC’s findings. He added that “serious questions” remain about how accusations of racism influenced decision-making in the case.
Separately, Downing Street confirmed that Starmer’s WhatsApp messages are set to automatically delete from his phone, raising questions about the completeness of records related to the appointment of Peter Mandelson. Starmer insisted he had complied with a humble address to release all relevant messages, stating that “many people, not just in politics, use disappearing messages”.
In other political news, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he felt he was “hitting up against a brick wall” when raising concerns about Gaza within government, after private messages from Mandelson accused him of being “hysterical” on the issue. Meanwhile, the luxury motorhome bought with stolen Scottish National Party funds by Peter Murrell was driven only four miles and sat unused for over two years, a court heard.
