london —
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has accused those who are “trying to interfere with our democracy” after US Vice President J.D. Vance weighed in on the national debate by blaming “mass immigration” for the recent killings of students.
The murder of 18-year-old white student Henry Nowak, who lay dying from stab wounds by 23-year-old Sikh man Vikram Dighwa in an attack late last year, sparked a nationwide outcry.
Mr Digwa, who falsely claimed to police at the time that he was the victim of a racist attack and was subsequently convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison, has been used by far-right groups to accuse British institutions, including the police, of being biased against white Britons.
Mr. Vance took part in Friday’s debate and cited the failure to stop the “massive flow of immigration” as the reason for Mr. Nowak’s death.
“If the last few generations of European elites had opposed the politics of self-hatred and the mass infiltration of immigrants, they would still be alive,” Vance wrote in an article for X magazine.
Shortly after Vance’s comments, a spokesperson for Starmer warned against those “trying to interfere with our democracy and incite division in our streets”.
Downing Street’s statement did not directly refer to Ms Vance, but continued: “The Nowak family is saddened by the horrific murder of Henry. They say they do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension. We must respect their wishes.”
The exchange came a day after the U.S. State Department sent condolences to Nowak’s family in an X post that appeared to suggest that a “two-tiered police force” was involved in the incident, echoing a key talking point among right-wingers that ethnic minorities are afforded generous protections out of fear that police officers will be accused of racism.
“Ideological conditioning and two-tiered policing are clear signs of civilizational decline. They must be rejected throughout the West.”
Downing Street pushed back on the claims, with Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy saying “mistakes can happen in any public service” and that the investigation was ongoing and “the system is working”.
“We do not recognize the nature of two-tiered policing,” he said.
Nowak, a freshman finance student, was on her way home from a night out with friends when she was murdered on December 3, 2025. Digwa stabbed him five times, causing severe internal bleeding from the chest wound, local police said.
Following the incident, police handcuffed Nowak after Digwa falsely told him he was the victim of a racist attack. In disturbing body camera footage released by Hampshire Police, Nowak pleads to officers: “I can’t breathe” and “I’ve been stabbed.” The officer replied, “I don’t think so, dude.”
