Lammy tells – British Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy says he directly told U.S. Vice President JD Vance he was wrong to link the killing of university student Henry Nowak to immigration, as a transatlantic political dispute grows over how the case is being used for messa
For a moment, the debate sounded like it belonged to two different countries. In Britain, it has been a murder case with a grieving family and an investigation into police actions. In the United States. it has become a flashpoint that some protesters compare to George Floyd—until British officials pushed back hard on the idea that immigration drove what happened to Henry Nowak.
On Saturday, British Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary David Lammy said he spoke with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and challenged his assessment after Vance linked Nowak’s killing to what he described as mass migration. Lammy rejected the suggestion outright. telling Sky News that he emphasized the case was not connected to mass migration and that multiple investigations were already under way into both the killing and the police response.
“I disagree with him. This has got nothing to do with mass migration. This young man was a Brit. Let’s be clear about that,” Lammy said. He added that he told Vance directly: “Look, Mr. vice president. you’re wrong about this.” Lammy said the conversation remained cordial despite the disagreement. describing it as amicable and saying Vance has a “long-standing concern about what he calls Western values.” Lammy also said he urged Vance not to post in ways that could inflame tensions. citing the wishes of the victim’s family.
The dispute traces back to the death of Henry Nowak, 18, who died after being stabbed in December in Southampton by Vickrum Digwa. Prosecutors said Digwa, 23, used an 8-inch Sikh dagger during the attack.
Digwa falsely told police he was the victim of a racist assault by Nowak, who is white. When officers arrived. they initially treated the wounded Nowak as a suspect before realizing he had been stabbed and attempting to resuscitate him. Digwa was later convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 21 years.
Lammy’s call to Vance came as Britain’s political argument over the case broadened. The row intensified after Vance posted on X linking the killing to “the mass invasion of migrants. many of whom despise the West and the people who love it. ” and calling for “righteous anger” in response. His remarks sparked swift criticism from U.K. officials and opposition figures and intensified scrutiny of how the case is being discussed politically.
Downing Street said it opposed attempts “trying to interfere in our democracy and seeking to stir up division on our streets.” It also issued a message that the case should not be weaponized: “The Nowak family are grieving after Henry’s horrific murder. They have said they do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension. We should be respecting their wishes.” The statement added: “Our politics should bring people together even in the most terrible of circumstances. That is who we are as a country.”.
At the center of the argument, the Nowak family has repeatedly resisted the politics swirling around the tragedy. Mark Nowak. the victim’s father. said the case was not about racism or religion and urged that it not be used to fuel division. He said he wanted his son’s death to lead to safer streets and not to create “further division. hatred or tension.”.
As the transatlantic dispute grew. some demonstrators and online commentators also began drawing comparisons to George Floyd in the United States. But the circumstances are sharply different: while Floyd was killed by a police officer. Nowak had already been stabbed before officers arrived at the scene. Even so, protesters have cited the comparison as part of wider criticism of policing and institutional bias.
Politicians in Britain have seized on the police response as well. Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, has claimed the police response reflects “two-tier” policing and bias within the justice system. The U.S. State Department echoed that allegation in a post on X. expressing condolences to the family and saying that “Ideological conditioning and two-tiered policing are glaring symptoms of civilizational decline.”.
The British government rejected the “two-tier” claim, saying it is not supported by statistical evidence. The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating the actions of officers who responded to the stabbing.
The chain of statements now runs from a British killing and a police response under scrutiny, through a U.S. vice president’s migration-linked framing, and back again into British political rebuttal. Lammy’s direct message to Vance is not just a disagreement over wording—it is a line drawn around what the family wants. what investigations are already examining. and what Britain’s leaders say should not be turned into migration rhetoric.
The case has now become part of a wider political fight between U.K. and U.S. figures, with disagreement over migration messaging, policing narratives, and how Henry Nowak’s death is being used in political terms on both sides of the Atlantic.
Henry Nowak JD Vance David Lammy immigration rhetoric Southampton stabbing two-tier policing Mark Nowak Vickrum Digwa George Floyd comparison Independent Office for Police Conduct