Lucy Powell has accused Nigel Farage of exploiting the murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak for political point-scoring, after the Reform UK leader used his Prime Minister’s Questions slot to discuss the case despite the family’s explicit plea not to do so.
The Labour deputy leader wrote in The Mirror that the Nowak family, whose son’s dying moments were captured on police bodycam, had “acted with unbelievable dignity” and were “really clear they do not want his murder used to sow division or for political point scoring”. Instead of respecting their wishes, Powell said, Farage “toured the studios and used his rare Prime Minister’s Question, to do exactly what they’d asked him not to” – a move she said Keir Starmer had “powerfully called out in Parliament”.
“Lucy Powell accuses Nigel Farage of exploiting Henry Nowak's murder for political gain and calls for misinformation clampdown.”
Powell’s criticism comes as she separately warned that Reform UK is “destabilising British democracy” by spreading divisive material amplified by bots and troll farms. In an article for Babelfish and an interview with the Guardian, she called for tighter laws on social media giants to tackle misinformation, arguing the online space was “open to wealthy individuals, and bad state actors”. She highlighted the multimillion-pound donations that have bolstered Reform’s election war chest and “fund their powerful online campaigns”.
A Reform spokesperson dismissed Powell’s claims as “completely untrue” and called her a “conspiracy theorist desperately trying to distract from a failing Labour government”. The spokesperson added: “Rather than smearing voters and demanding more state censorship, Labour should be focused on fixing the messes they’ve created.”
Powell said Reform’s “exploitation of online algorithms on social media sites is well documented”, as was the way the party had benefited from “bots and troll farms to amplify support”. She argued the law should be strengthened to “tackle the scourge of dis- and misinformation which is ripping communities apart and undermining us all”.
The exchanges come as the government’s new elections bill – which will bring in votes at 16, ban cryptocurrency donations, and cap overseas donations – faces pressure from campaigners who say it does not go far enough. Powell told the Guardian: “The spread of mis- and disinformation is a real and present danger to our democracy. This is not just about mega-donations from overseas crypto barons to Reform but also in the context of social media and the buying power this provides.”
Powell also used the Mirror piece to highlight what she called Reform’s growing desperation, pointing to polls showing the Right-wing rival Restore party doing better than expected in the Makerfield by-election. Restore is backed by foreign support from Elon Musk, she noted. The Labour deputy leader argued that “the shine is well and truly coming off Reform”, with former Labour voters returning and Reform’s candidate vetting exposed on Question Time – where an audience member applauded the line that she would “rather have a career politician than a plumber who is sexist”.
Powell also listed a series of alleged rule-breaking by Reform figures: Farage not registering a £5 million ‘gift’, Richard Tice not paying his tax, and “murky crypto donations”. “They don’t deserve to win this crucial by-election,” she concluded, “and I’m confident the good people of Makerfield know that too.”