A teenager is stabbed to death in Southampton. As he lies dying, police handcuff him. The killer is British-born, but a foreign leader blames the murder on immigration. Within days, the tragedy becomes a political weapon – and a transatlantic row erupts.
Henry Nowak, an 18-year-old British student, was fatally stabbed in Southampton in December last year. The man convicted of his murder, Vickrum Digwa, is British and was born in the UK. Digwa falsely claimed he had been racially abused and acted in self-defence. Bodycam footage showed police handcuffing Nowak as he lay dying, after Digwa told officers he was the victim of a racist attack. Digwa was jailed for life for murder, claiming he carried the blade for religious reasons linked to his Sikh faith.
“Explaining the row over JD Vance's claim that Henry Nowak's murder was caused by migration, and the UK response.”
On Friday 5 June 2026, US Vice-President JD Vance posted on X that Nowak had died “the same way a civilisation dies: abandoned and handcuffed by authorities who neither trusted nor cared for him”. He blamed the killing on “the mass invasion of migrants” and said the only response was “righteous anger”. The next day, Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy called Vance. “I told him he was wrong,” Lammy told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme. Lammy said the murder “has got nothing to do with mass migration”. He described the conversation as “robust” but “agreeable”, and said he reminded Vance that Nowak’s family had called for calm.
For UK readers, the controversy raises fundamental questions about how tragedies are used in public debate. Nowak’s father, Mark, appealed for calm outside court, saying: “We do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension.” Doreen Lawrence, the mother of Stephen Lawrence, urged the House of Lords not to turn a family’s grief into a political weapon. Yet, as the New Statesman noted, “before investigations have concluded, before all the facts are known... competing political narratives have rushed to fill the vacuum.” The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating the officers who handcuffed Nowak – a legitimate inquiry that risks being overshadowed by speculation and finger-pointing.
Q: What did JD Vance say about Henry Nowak’s murder? JD Vance wrote on X that Nowak’s death was “as tragic as it is enraging” and blamed it on “the mass invasion of migrants”. He claimed Nowak would still be alive “if the last few generations of European elites had stood their ground against the politics of self-hatred and the mass invasion of migrants”.
Q: Why did David Lammy call JD Vance? Lammy, the Deputy Prime Minister, phoned Vance to tell him his comments were “wrong”. He emphasised that the killer was British-born and that the murder had “nothing to do with mass migration”. Lammy said the conversation was “robust” but that they remain “colleagues and friends”.
Q: What has Henry Nowak’s family said about the politicisation of his death? Nowak’s father, Mark, said outside court: “We do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension. We want his story to make our streets safer for everyone.” The family has repeatedly urged calm and asked that the tragedy not be exploited for political purposes.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct’s investigation into the police response will continue, with findings expected in the coming months. Meanwhile, the row has highlighted how quickly a local tragedy can become a global political flashpoint – and how even a heartfelt plea from a grieving family can be overwhelmed by those seeking to score points.